Re: Fw: (ferns) Polypodium vulgare, summer-deciduous

Hi Paulie

Now you have uncovered an interesting fact.

The Polypodium vulgare here definitely has its sori on the underside of the 
frond.  I have never seen then on the dorsal side.  I wonder if these are 
actually the same species?

I call our plants here "summer-deciduous" because during the dryer summer 
period, the fronds all wither and fall away. The plants do not produce new 
fronds until autumn when the soils get moister again.

Personally, I am not tempted to eat any fern. I  know that some species, 
mainly of Asplenium, are eaten by Maori here, but also it is well known that 
other species eg Pteridium esculentum, are carcinogenous. I have plenty of 
other foods to use.

Sincerely,

Brian

Send reply to:  	"Paulie" <ritchey@charter.net>
From:           	"Paulie" <ritchey@charter.net>
To:             	<bj@caverock.net.nz>
Subject:        	Fw: [ferns] (ferns)  Polypodium vulgare,  summer-deciduous
Date sent:      	Wed, 22 Sep 2004 10:28:32 -0700

> Hi Brian;   Polypodium vulgare [licorice fern] grows all over the Pacific
> Northwest!  I am in Oregon. It loves to ramble over moss covered limbs of
> Maple Trees, over banks and hill and dale.  Most usually under the moss.
> When it gets dry, it loses it's fronds and produces new ones when rain
> comes.  Different from deciduous.  I always said it was the only fern where the
> spore patches showed on the top of the frond.  And I never tasted the rhyzome
> for the licorice taste!  We used to buy licorice root from a drug store when we
> were kids and nibbled it as we went about our games.  I think it came from
> China.
>     Cheers,    Paulie
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Brian Swale" <bj@caverock.net.nz>
> To: <ferns@hort.net>
> Sent: Tuesday, September 21, 2004 9:31 PM
> Subject: [ferns] (ferns) Polypodium vulgare, summer-deciduous
> 
> 
> > Hi all,
> >
> > Another contribution I posted yesterday that never made it to the Digest.
> > Trying again.
> >
> > Where I live, on the Port Hills of Christchurch, New Zealand, Polypodium
> > vulgare is fairly recently new adventitive fern. It grows here on
> fractured rock
> > banks in a mist zone that gets quite dry in summer. I also have it growing
> in
> > my
> > garden.
> >
> > One feature it has that I have seen in only a few other species, is that
> it is
> > quite summer-deciduous. In the height of summer, you'd never know it lives
> > there.
> >
> > I'm curious to learn what its growth pattern is where it grows naturally.
> >
> > Brian Swale
> >
> > ---------------------------------------------------------------------
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