''Aglaomorpha quercifolia'' (

synonym A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are all ...

''Drynaria quercifolia''), commonly known as the oakleaf fern or oakleaf basket fern, is a species of ''

Aglaomorpha ''Aglaomorpha'' is the generic name of two groups of organisms. It can refer to: * ''Aglaomorpha'' (moth), a genus of moths in the family Erebidae * ''Aglaomorpha'' (plant), a genus of ferns in the family Polypodiaceae {{Genus disambiguation ...

'' in the family

Polypodiaceae Polypodiaceae is a family of ferns. In the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I), the family includes around 65 genera and an estimated 1,650 species and is placed in the order Polypodiales, suborder Polypodiineae. A broader ...

. Other common names for the fern are ''pakpak lawin'', ''gurar'', ''koi hin'', ''ashvakatri'', ''kabkab'', ''kabkaban'', or ''uphatkarul''.

Distribution

''Aglaomorpha quercifolia'' is native to

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

, the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu Hiri Motu, also known as Police Motu, Pidgin Motu, or just Hiri, is a language of Papua New Guinea, which is spoken in surrounding areas of Port Moresby (Capital of Papua New Guinea). It is a simplified version of ...

, and

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

Description

It is a large species with deeply pinnatifid foliage fronds. The nest fronds resemble the leaves of

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

s, hence the common name. The sori are either scattered or arranged in two regular rows in between the secondary veins. Drynaria quercifolia (Oakleaf fern) sporangia

Drynaria quercifolia (Oakleaf fern) sporangia

Trivia

"Kabkab", one of the plant's nicknames ("kabkaban" collectively for clumps of ferns), was the inspiration for the old name of

Carcar Carcar, officially the City of Carcar ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Carcar; fil, Lungsod ng Carcar), is a 5th class Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city in the Provinces of the Philippines, province of Cebu, Philippines. Accord ...

, one of the towns of the province of

Cebu Cebu (; ceb, Sugbo), officially the Province of Cebu ( ceb, Lalawigan sa Sugbo; tl, Lalawigan ng Cebu; hil, Kapuroan sang Sugbo), is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, and consists of a main island and 167 ...

in the

. This was due to the abundance of these fern plants in the trunks and branches of the large trees, as well as the lowlands surrounding the area of the town. Currently, the term "kabkaban" refers to the town's local festival in honor of

St. Catherine of Alexandria Catherine of Alexandria (also spelled Katherine); grc-gre, ἡ Ἁγία Αἰκατερίνη ἡ Μεγαλομάρτυς ; ar, سانت كاترين; la, Catharina Alexandrina). is, according to tradition, a Christian saint and virgin, w ...

, which celebrates the town's musical history. The Kabkaban Festival is held around the 23rd to the 25th of November.

References

{{Taxonbar, from1=Q66448174, from2=Q11110380, from3=Q21877116 Aglaomorpha Ferns of Asia Plants described in 1841