Asplenium nidus

{{hatnote|See bird's-nest fern for other plants with this common name.}}

{{Speciesbox

| image = Asplenium nidus (Bukidnon, Philippines) 02.jpg

| image_caption = Asplenium nidus in the Philippines

| status = G5

| status_system = TNC

| genus = Asplenium

| species = nidus

| authority = L. Asplenium nidus was first described and published in Species Plantarum 2: 1079. 1753. {{ cite web |url=http://www.tropicos.org/Name/26601011 |title=Name - !Asplenium nidus L. |work=Tropicos |publisher=Missouri Botanical Garden |location=Saint Louis, Missouri |accessdate=November 3, 2011}}

| synonyms =

Asplenium antiquum Makino
A. australasicum (J.Sm.) Hook.
A. ficifolium Goldm.
Neottopteris mauritiana Fée
N. musaefolia J.Sm.
N. nidus (L.) J.Sm.
N. rigida Fée
Thamnopteris nidus (L.) C.Presl

| synonyms_ref = {{ cite web |url=http://www.tropicos.org/Name/26601011?tab=synonyms |title=Name - !Asplenium nidus L. synonyms |work=Tropicos |publisher=Missouri Botanical Garden |location=Saint Louis, Missouri |accessdate=November 3, 2011}}

}}

Asplenium nidus is an epiphytic species of fern in the family Aspleniaceae, native to tropical southeastern Asia, eastern Australia, Hawaii (ʻēkaha in Hawaiian),{{Hawaiian Dictionaries|ʻēkaha|id=D98937}}{{cite web |author=NPS |author-link=National Park Service |title=Kapahulu Coastal Strand |url=https://www.nps.gov/hale/learn/nature/upload/Kipahulu-Coastal-Strand.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170113154113/https://www.nps.gov/hale/learn/nature/upload/Kipahulu-Coastal-Strand.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 13, 2017 |work=Haleakalā National Park Plant Communities |accessdate=January 11, 2017}} Polynesia,MacDonald, Elvin "The World Book of House Plants" pp.264 Popular Books Christmas Island,MacDonald, Elvin "The World Book of House Plants" pp.263 Popular Books India,{{cite web |author=Chandra, S. |author2=Fraser-Jenkins, C.R. |author3=Kumari, A. |author4=Srivastava, A. |name-list-style=amp|title=A Summary of the Status of Threatened Pteridophytes of India. Taiwania, 53(2): 170-209, 2008 |url=http://www.ces.iisc.ernet.in/biodiversity/sahyadri_enews/newsletter/issue33/rare_and_threatened_pteridophytes_of_india.pdf |accessdate=August 2, 2017}} and eastern Africa. It is known by the common names bird's-nest fern{{GRIN | accessdate=November 3, 2011}} (a name shared by some other aspleniums) or simply nest fern.

Description

Asplenium nidus forms large simple fronds visually similar to banana leaves, with the fronds growing to {{convert|50|–|150|cm}} long and {{convert|10|–|20|cm}} broad, with occasional individuals up to 6.6 feet (two meters) in length by up to two feet (61 centimeters) width {{cite book | last= Copeland | first= Edwin B. | date= 1960 | title= Fern Flora of the Philippines - Volume 3 | location= Manila | publisher= Bureau of Printing | page= 450}} They are light green, often crinkled, with a black midrib, and exhibit circinate vernation. Spores develop in sori on the underside of the fronds. These sori form long rows extending out from the midrib on the back of the outer part of the lamina (frond). The fronds roll back as they brown and create a massive leaf nest in the branches and trunks of trees. The subspecies or variety A.n. taeniophyllum of the Philippines has fronds up to 4ft 5 in (135 centimeters) in length while only 1.5 inches (3.7 centimeters) wide.{{ cite book | last= Copeland |first= Edwin B. |date= 1960 | title= Fern Flora of the Philippines | location= Manila | publisher= Bureau of Printing | pages= 450 - 451}}

Taxonomy

Linnaeus was the first to describe bird's-nest fern with the binomial Asplenium nidus in his Species Plantarum of 1753.{{cite book | title=Species Plantarum | edition=1st | volume=II | last=Linnaeus | first=C. | authorlink=Carl Linnaeus | year=1753 | publisher=Laurentii Salvii | location=Stockholm | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/359100|page=1079}}

A global phylogeny of Asplenium published in 2020 divided the genus into eleven clades,{{sfn|Xu|Zhang|Rothfels|Smith|2020|p=27}} which were given informal names pending further taxonomic study. A. nidus belongs to the "Neottopteris clade",{{sfn|Xu|Zhang|Rothfels|Smith|2020|p=31}} members of which generally have somewhat leathery leaf tissue. While the subclades of this group are poorly resolved, several of them share a characteristic "bird's-nest fern" morphology with entire leaves and fused veins near the margin.{{sfn|Xu|Zhang|Rothfels|Smith|2020|p=41}} Both the 2020 study{{sfn|Xu|Zhang|Rothfels|Smith|2020|p=41}} and a 2015 molecular study found that A. nidus is polyphyletic, meaning that some populations were not closely related to others—A. nidus from Madagascar, Vanuatu and New Guinea were more closely related to other species than each other. Hence a revision with sampling of the species across its range was required to delineate the taxon and identify cryptic species.{{cite journal|vauthors=Ohlsen DJ, Perrie LR, Shepherd LD, Brownsey PJ, Bayly MJ |date=2015|title=Phylogeny of the fern family Aspleniaceae in Australasia and the south-western Pacific|journal=Australian Systematic Botany|volume=27|issue=6|pages=355–71 | doi=10.1071/sb14043|doi-access=free}} A. nidus sensu lato forms a clade with the morphologically similar A. australasicum, but other bird's-nest ferns such as A. antiquum and A. phyllitidis form a separate subclade which is not particularly closely related.{{sfn|Xu|Zhang|Rothfels|Smith|2020|p=31}}

Native distribution

File:Birds nest ferns in tropical montane forest on Mt Manucoco, Atauro, 30 Dec 2003.jpg, Atauro Island, East Timor]]

Asplenium nidus is native to east tropical Africa (in Tanzania, inclusive of the Zanzibar Archipelago); temperate and tropical Asia (in Indonesia; East Timor; the island of Kyushu, and the Ryukyu Islands of Japan; Malaysia; the Philippines; Taiwan; and Thailand); and in northern Australia and the Pacific Islands.

Habitat

Asplenium nidus can survive either as an epiphyte or terrestrial plant, but typically grows on organic matter. This fern often lives in palm trees, where it collects water and humus in its leaf-rosette. It thrives in warm, humid areas in partial to full shade. It dislikes direct sunlight and likes to be in full shade on a south facing garden wall when in the southern hemisphere and the north facing in the northern hemisphere.{{Cite web|url=https://www.ourhouseplants.com/plants/bird-nest-fern|title=Bird's Nest Fern|website=Our House Plants}}

Uses

File:Asplenium nidus Malaysia.jpg]]

File:Asplenium nidus seedling.jpg

With a minimum temperature of {{convert|10|C|F|abbr=on}}, Asplenium nidus is widely cultivated in temperate regions as a houseplant.{{cite book|title=RHS A-Z encyclopedia of garden plants|year=2008|publisher=Dorling Kindersley|location=United Kingdom|isbn=978-1405332965|pages=1136}} However, many plants sold as A. nidus are actually the related Asplenium australasicum.{{efloras|2|242305949|Asplenium nidus|first1=Youxing|last1=Lin|first2=Ronald|last2=Viane|volume=2-3}} Asplenium nidus has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.{{cite web|title=RHS Plant Selector - Asplenium nidus|url=http://apps.rhs.org.uk/plantselector/plant?plantid=190|accessdate=5 June 2013}}

Asplenium nidus has been used locally in folk medicine for asthma, sores, weakness, and halitosis.{{cite web|author=James A. Duke|author-link=James A. Duke|title=Asplenium nidus (ASPLENIACEAE) |publisher=Dr. Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases |url=https://phytochem.nal.usda.gov/phytochem/ethnoPlants/show/5597 |accessdate=December 24, 2017}}

The sprouts of A. nidus are eaten in Taiwan, known as 山蘇, pronounced shansu. (山 meaning "mountain", as in mountain vegetables). They may be stir-fried or boiled and are a traditional aboriginal vegetable,{{cite web|title=山蘇, Taiwan Council of Agriculture|url=https://kmweb.coa.gov.tw/subject/subject.php?id=39518|accessdate=14 March 2023}} now popular enough to appear even on the menus of chain restaurants.{{cite web|title=Din Tai Fung menu, 山蘇|url=https://www.dintaifung.com.tw/food_show.php?id=84|accessdate=14 March 2023}}

The young fronds are eaten in the Polynesian islands, known as {{lang|niu|Luku}} in Niue, {{lang|tvl|Laukatafa}} in Tuvalu and {{lang|tkl|Laumea}} in Tokelau where it is often cooked together and eaten with coconut cream. The large fronds are also used in the wrapping and cooking of food.R. R. Thaman (2016). [https://pacific-data.sprep.org/system/files/Thaman%25202016.pdf "The Flora of Tuvalu - Pacific Environment Portal."] Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press Retrieved October 2023.

Protection

In Hong Kong, this species is under protection based on Forestry Regulations Cap. 96A.

References

{{cite journal |last1=Xu |first1=Ke-Wang |last2=Zhang |first2=Liang |last3=Rothfels |first3=Carl J. |last4=Smith |first4=Alan R. |last5=Viane |first5=Ronald |last6=Lorence |first6=David |last7=Wood |first7=Kenneth R. |last8=Cheng |first8=Cheng-Wei |last9=Knapp |first9=Ralf |last10=Zhou |first10=Lin |last11=Lu |first11=Ngan Thi |last12=Zhou |first12=Xin-Mao |last13=Wei |first13=Hong-Jin |last14=Fan |first14=Qiang |last15=Chen |first15=Su-Fang |last16=Cicuzza |first16=Daniele |last17=Gao |first17=Xin-Fen |last18=Li |first18=Wen-Bo |last19=Zhang |first19=Li-Bing |title=A global plastid phylogeny of the fern genus Asplenium (Aspleniaceae) |year=2020 |journal=Cladistics |volume=36 |issue=1 |pages=22–71 |doi=10.1111/cla.12384|pmid=34618950 |s2cid=201197385 |doi-access=free }}

External links

{{Commons category-inline|Asplenium nidus|Asplenium nidus}}
{{Wikispecies-inline|Asplenium nidus|Asplenium nidus}}
[http://www.anbg.gov.au/fm/fms5/fms5_fern_abstracts.html#johns2 Asplenium section - Flora Malesiana Symposium Abstracts]

nidus

Category:Ferns of Africa

Category:Ferns of Asia

Category:Ferns of Oceania

Category:Ferns of Australia

Category:Native ferns of Hawaii

Category:Flora of Christmas Island

Category:Flora of Malesia

Category:Flora of Japan

Category:Flora of the Ryukyu Islands

Category:Flora of Taiwan

Category:Flora of Tanzania