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Perennials > Asplenium > Asplenium australasicum > Asplenium australasicum

Asplenium australasicum


Bird's Nest Fern, Crow's Nest Fern, Nest Fern




Origin:  Queensland to southern New South Wales, as well as New Guineae, the Pacific Island, and Asia. First described by the English botanist John Smith in 1857.
Family
Aspleniaceae
Genus
Asplenium
Species
australasicum
Category
Perennials
Type
Ferns
Synonyms
Asplenium nidus
Height
0.5 - 1.5 m
Spread
1 - 3 m
Photographs
Description and Growing Information
Flowering Period
Landscape
Container planting.
Cultivation
Partial-shade. Moist, well-drained soil with acidic and neutral pH. Loamy, sandy loam and clay loam. Tolerates moderate frost.
Shape
Large and nest-shapped.
Pests
Vulnerable to rotting.
Habitat
Rainforests.
Leaf Description
Large, elliptical-shaped fronds arising from a central stem that forms a deep, saucer shape. The fronds can be 3 m in diameter. The spores on the underside of the fronds occur in parallel rows.
Flower Description
Deep rosettes.
Colour Description
The rosettes are yellowish-green. The fronds are green.
Notable Specimens
Kings Park and Botanical Garden, Perth, Australia.
Propagation
Propagation from spores.
Ethnobotanical Uses (Disclaimer)
Young fronds when cooked are eatable and are gaining a reputation as a delicacy.
References
Ohlsen DJ, Perrie LR, Shepherd LD, Brownsey PJ, Bayly MJ (2015). "Phylogeny of the fern family Aspleniaceae in Australasia and the south-western Pacific". Australian Systematic Botany.
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