Blechnum spicant
| Blechnum spicant | |
| Light: |    |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 5 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-7.3 |
| Evergreen | |
| Height: | 1' |
| Width: | 1' |
| Speed: | Slow |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Blechnum spicant (common name: hard fern)
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. Pot on small clumps of plantlets as soon as they are large enough to handle and keep humid until they are well established. Overwinter for the first year in a greenhouse and plant outside in late spring or early summer.
Division in spring or autumn. Larger divisions can be planted straight into their permanent positions whilst smaller clumps are best potted up and kept in a cold frame until they are growing away well.
Cultivation: A calcifuge plant[1], it prefers a moist shady nook in the rock garden or a position in open woodland in a moist soil[2]. Succeeds in quite dense tree shade if the soil is moist[3]. Prefers a moist position and a northerly aspect but succeeds in sun and in clay soils[2].
A polymorphic and very ornamental species[2], there are several named varieties[3].
Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer[4].
Range: Most of Europe, including Britain, N. Africa, Japan, Western N. America.
Habitat: Woods, heaths, moors, mountain grassland and on rocks, to 1200 metres[1].
Edibility: Root - cooked. An emergency food, used when all else fails[5].
Young shoots (often called croziers) - cooked[5]. The young tender stems can be peeled and the centre portion eaten[6]. An emergency food, it is only used when all else fails[5][7]. It is also chewed to alleviate thirst on long journeys[7].
Medicinal: The leaflets have been chewed in the treatment of internal cancer, lung disorders and stomach problems[6].
The fronds are used externally as a medicine for skin sores[6].
A decoction of the root has been used in the treatment of diarrhoea[6].
Usage: A good ground cover plant[8]. Relatively slow growing but succeeding in the dense shade of trees[9][3].
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
In Leaf: Evergreen
Seed Ripens: Early Summer-Late Summer
Heavy Clay: Grows in heavy-clay soils.
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
Also Known As: Lomaria spicant.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Perennial Garden Plants. J. M. Dent & Sons, 1990.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Weiner, Michael. Earth Medicine, Earth Food. Ballantine Books, 1980.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Plants for Ground Cover. Everyman, 1990.
- ↑ Napier, Elspeth. Ground Cover Plants. Cassells, 1989.