''Odontosoria chinensis'' is a
fern
A fern (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta ) is a member of a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. The polypodiophytes include all living pteridophytes except t ...
in the family
Lindsaeaceae
Lindsaeaceae is a pantropical family of ferns in the order Polypodiales. It contains six or seven genera with about 220 known species, some of which also extend into the more temperate regions of eastern Asia, New Zealand, and South America. .
[ Commonly called lace fern ( Hawaiian: pala'ā, palae, or palapala'ā), it is native from India to ]Hawai'i
Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...
, and south to Sumatra
Sumatra is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the sixth-largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 (182,812 mi.2), not including adjacent i ...
, Borneo
Borneo (; id, Kalimantan) is the third-largest island in the world and the largest in Asia. At the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, in relation to major Indonesian islands, it is located north of Java, west of Sulawesi, and eas ...
and 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 ...
, as well as other parts of the tropics and sub-tropics.[ It is commonly found in forest openings and disturbed areas such as landslides, along trails or roads. It grows in moist, shady areas from sea level to an elevation of 4,000 feet.
]
Subspecies
, two subspecies were recognized:[
* ''Odontosoria chinensis'' ssp. ''chinensis''
* ''Odontosoria chinensis'' ssp. ''tenuifolia'' (Lam.) Fraser-Jenk. & Kandel
'' Odontosoria biflora'' from the Philippines has also been treated as a subspecies of this species.
]
Uses
Hawaiians made red-brown dye from the old fronds. Pala'ā was used to treat "female ailments". It is made into a lei using the ''hili'', or ''hilo'' technique - a braiding or plaiting method with only one type of plant material. It is also made into ''haku'' with other plants using the ''wili'' or winding method and a backing.
See also
* ''Diplazium esculentum
''Diplazium esculentum'', the vegetable fern, is an edible fern found throughout Asia and Oceania. It is probably the most commonly consumed fern.
The genus ''Diplazium'' is in the family Athyriaceae, in the eupolypods II clade of the order Pol ...
''
References
External links
*
Plants for Hawaiian Lei: Pala'ā
(accessed September 25, 2015)
Lindsaeaceae
Plants described in 1753
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus
{{Polypodiales-stub