Osmunda japonica
| Osmunda japonica | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 6 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 3' |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Osmunda japonica (common name: zenmai)
Propagation: Spores - they very quickly lose their viability (within 3 days) and are best sown as soon as they are ripe on the surface of a humus-rich sterilized soil in a lightly shaded place in a greenhouse. Keep the compost moist, preferably by putting a plastic bag over the pot. Plants develop very rapidly, pot on small clumps of plantlets as soon as they are large enough to handle and keep humid until they are well established. Do not plant outside until the ferns are at least 2 years old. Cultivars usually come true to type[1].
Division of the rootstock in the dormant season. This is a very strenuous exercise due to the mass of wiry roots[1].
Cultivation: Likes a soil of swamp mud and loamy or fibrous peat, sand and loam[2]. Succeeds in most moist soils, preferring acid conditions[1]. Requires a constant supply of water, doing well by ponds, streams etc[2]. Plants thrive in full sun so long as there is no shortage of moisture in the soil and also in shady situations beneath shrubs etc[1].
Plants are hardy to at least -20°c, they are evergreen in warm winter areas but deciduous elsewhere[1].
Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer[3].
Closely related to O. regalis[2].
Range: E. Asia - China, Japan.
Habitat: Moist places all over Japan[4][1].
Edibility: Young fronds - cooked[5][6].
An edible starch is obtained from the rhizome[5][6].
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy 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[1].
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
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Perennial Garden Plants. J. M. Dent & Sons, 1990.
- ↑ Ohwi, Jisaburo. Flora of Japan. Smithsonian Institution, 1965.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.