Asplenium adiantum-nigrum
| Asplenium adiantum-nigrum | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 6 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Evergreen | |
| Height: | 2' |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Medicinal Rating: | |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Asplenium adiantum-nigrum (common name: black spleenwort)
Propagation: Spores - best sown as soon as they are ripe on the surface of a humus-rich sterilized soil. Keep the compost moist, preferably by putting a plastic bag over the pot. Germinates in spring[1]. Spring sown spores germinate in 1 - 3 months at 15°c[2]. Pot on small clumps of plantlets as soon as they are large enough to handle and grow them on in light shade in a cold frame or greenhouse. Keep them humid until they are well established. When they are at least 15cm tall, plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer.
Cultivation: Requires a partly shaded site with preferably less than 3 hours sunshine daily[3]. Plants can be grown in old brick walls[4].
Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer[5].
Range: Most of Europe south of the Faroes, including Britain, to the Himalayas, N. and S. Africa.
Habitat: Rocky woods, hedgebanks, shady walls and rocks[6].
Medicinal: The plant is bitter, diuretic, laxative and ophthalmic[7]. It is taken internally to treat diseases of the spleen, jaundice and ophthalmia[7]. It is said to produce sterility in women[7].
A decoction or syrup made from the fronds is emmenagogue, expectorant and pectoral[7]. It is used to relieve troublesome coughs[8].
Usage: A decoction of the herb is a good hair wash[6].
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
In Leaf: Evergreen
Seed Ripens: Early Summer-Mid Fall
Known Hazards: Although we have found no reports of toxicity for this species, a number of ferns contain carcinogens so some caution is advisable[3].
Many ferns also contain thiaminase, an enzyme that robs the body of its vitamin B complex. In small quantities this e
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References
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Rice, Graham. Growing from Seed Volume 2. Thompson and Morgan, 1988.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Grey-Wilson, Christopher and Victoria Matthews. Gardening on Walls. Collins, 1983.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Perennial Garden Plants. J. M. Dent & Sons, 1990.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Chopra, R. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi, 1986.
- ↑ Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.