''Asplenium bulbiferum'', known as mother spleenwort, is a fern species native to
New Zealand
New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
only. It is also called hen and chicken fern and, in the
Māori language
Māori (; endonym: 'the Māori language', commonly shortened to ) is an Eastern Polynesian languages, Eastern Polynesian language and the language of the Māori people, the indigenous population of mainland New Zealand. The southernmost membe ...
, pikopiko, mouku or mauku. Its fronds are eaten as a
vegetable
Vegetables are edible parts of plants that are consumed by humans or other animals as food. This original meaning is still commonly used, and is applied to plants collectively to refer to all edible plant matter, including edible flower, flo ...
.
It grows small
bulbils on top of its fronds. Once grown to about , these offspring fall off and, provided the soil they land in is kept moist, develop a root system and grow into new ferns. This additional means of reproduction can be employed with greater ease than propagation by spores. There are a number of similar Southern Hemisphere species which have a similar mode of reproduction, including ''
Asplenium daucifolium''.
''Asplenium bulbiferum'' commonly grows in most bush areas in New Zealand. It thrives in many situations from shade to partial sunlight.
Similar species
It is often confused with ''
Asplenium gracillimum'' which is a fern species native to both
New Zealand
New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
and
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
. ''A. gracillimum'' is the fertile
allotetraploid hybrid of ''A. bulbiferum'' and ''
A. hookerianum'', and sometimes back-crosses with ''A. bulbiferum''. ''A. bulbiferum'' is generally larger and found in wetter areas. The wings on its leaf axes are more pronounced, most pinnules are fused to the pinna axis rather than stalked, and it bears bulbils more frequently and abundantly than ''A. gracillimum''.
Plants sold commercially as ''A. bulbiferum'' are popular, including as an indoor plant, tolerating areas with low light. However, DNA evidence has shown these plants are most commonly hybrids between the New Zealand ''A. bulbiferum'' and the Australian ''A. dimorphum''.
They are much larger than typical ''A. bulbiferum'' and the fronds with and without sporangia differ in the degree of dissection. The spores do not germinate but the plants propagate readily by means of the bulbils. These plants should be known as ''A. × lucrosum'' Perrie, Shepherd &
Brownsey, and should not be used in revegetation projects where indigenous vegetation is required.
Taxonomy
A global phylogeny of ''Asplenium'' published in 2020 divided the genus into eleven clades, which were given informal names pending further taxonomic study. ''A. bulbiferum'' belongs to the "''Neottopteris'' clade", members of which generally have somewhat leathery leaf tissue. It formed a clade with ''
A. cimmeriorum'', ''
A. hookerianum'', and ''
A. richardii''.
Gallery
File:Asplenium bulbiferum (2944494936).jpg
File:Asplenium bulbiferum in Auckland Botanic Gardens 04.jpg
File:Asplenium bulbiferum kz13.jpg
File:Asplenium bulbiferum Pengo.jpg
File:Hen and Chicken Fern (Asplenium bulbiferum) frond with bulbils.jpg
References
Further reading
*
External links
Nutritional value of NZ edible plants: PikopikoIndigenous Maori food ingredients: PikopikoNew Zealand Plant Conservation Network: Asplenium bulbiferum
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1707361
bulbiferum
Endemic flora of New Zealand
Ferns of New Zealand
Garden plants of New Zealand
House plants
Leaf vegetables
Plants described in 1786
Taxa named by Georg Forster