| Asplenium australasicum | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Division: | Pteridophyta |
| Class: | Pteridopsida |
| Order: | Polypodiales |
| (unranked): | Eupolypods II |
| Family: | Aspleniaceae |
| Genus: | Asplenium |
| Species: | A. australasicum |
| Binomial name | |
| Asplenium australasicum (J.Sm.) Hook. |
|
Asplenium australasicum is a species of fern in the Aspleniaceae family found in eastern Australia. Common names include bird's nest fern and crow's nest fern.[1]
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Asplenium australasicum was originally described by English botanist John Smith in 1857 as Neottopteris australasica.[2] He had reclassified the already known A. nidus in its own genus Neottopteris. Other botanists reclassified the genus as a section, Thamnopteris, within the genus Asplenium,[3] and William Jackson Hooker gave it its current binomial name in 1859.[4] Although the section Thamnopteris is distinctive, defining the species has been difficult as the morphology of the plants is so simple.[3] A. australasicum has been confused with (and called) A. nidus,[5] and Japanese populations which were considered to be A. australasicum by their morphology have been found to be genetically distinct and reclassified as a new species, A. setori.[3]
Asplenium australasicum grows as shrubby plant, with a rosette of yellow-green fronds which are 60 to 80 cm (24–32 in) long and 3 to 21 cm (1.2–8.4 in) wide.[6] It can be distinguished from A. nidus by its prominent midrib under its fronds, giving the fronds a keeled appearance.[3] The spores form in parallel lines which run in parallel with the veins and oblique to the midrib.[5]
A. australasicum grows on rocks or as an epiphyte on trees and is native to eastern New South Wales and Queensland.[6] The clumps can reach a large size, with the centre of the fern acting as a reservoir for debris.[5]
Asplenium australasicum specimens were taken from logged areas, which helped them become popular in horticulture.[5] It adapts readily to cultivation, as long as it has good drainage. Poor drainage renders it vulnerable to rotting.[7] It can be grown in a tub or barrel.[1] In cultivation it is occasionally attacked by white coconut scale on the underside of the fronds.[1]
Apart from its use as an ornamental plant, bird's nest fern is also a popular vegetable in Taiwan, particularly in the Eastern part of the island where the young emerging fronds are used as a leafy vegetable, from both wild and cultivated plants. The fronds are now also gaining in popularity elsewhere because of the pleasant texture and taste[8] .