Diplazium maximum (D. Don) C. Christensen, Index Filic. 235. 1905. (Syn: Asplenium maximum D. Don; Allantodia maxima (D. Don) Ching; Asplenium diversifolium Wallich; Diplazium diversifolium (Wallich) J. Smith.);
.
Afghanistan to Temp. E. Asia and Philippines (Mindanao), Sulawesi: Afghanistan, Assam, China South-Central, China Southeast, East Himalaya, Hainan, Japan, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sulawesi, Taiwan, Tibet, Vietnam, West Himalaya as per POWO;
.
Diplazium/ABDEC21 : 3 posts by 1 author. Attachments (9)
Possibly;
Diplazium esculentum or Diplazium maximum
Mcleodganj, Dharamshala, HP
08 December 2014
It’s more likely the Vegetable Fern (Diplazium esculentum), called Lungar in the local Gaddi dialect. The stems are collected when new fiddleheads form and used to make a savoury dish which we all enjoy. But it may very well be Diplazium maximum. Please advise.
I would think this to be our largest fern here. The sample I collected (already half damaged) was 143cm long and about 87cm wide at its widest. The stipe at the base was thick (55mm diameter), almost black and sparsely covered in brown scales. The stipe was grooved on the upper side and almost flat under near the base. It’s tri-pinnate and herbaceous.
Rhizome was pale covered in thick brown fibres and had many stalks protruding.
Rachis are green below and claret above. Pinnae ribs are light green.
Sori are long and thin forming along the veins. I found very few pinnae with sori. Also I checked a few different samples and found only two with sori formed on them.
Yes, that’s also Diplazium maximum, with free veins (unlike D. esculentum) and linear stipe-base scales. Thank you once again … I will look at the veins closely to make the comparison. Building on previous email on the same species, I took these photos today to show the young sori developing nicely. I think D. maximum is the fern that is eaten here when young (croziers only are collected from the wild and stir fried into a delicious dish). Locally it is called Lungru, perhaps … can confirm this. Diplazium maximum
Above Mcleodganj, Dharamshala, HP
1800m
8 July 2015.
I photographed the side arm of this tri-pinnate fern;
4 images.
|