Osmunda regalis
| Osmunda regalis | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 2 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 7' |
| Width: | 3' |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Medicinal Rating: | |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Osmunda regalis (common name: royal fern)
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: An easily grown plant[2][3], it prefers a soil of swamp mud and loamy or fibrous peat, sand and loam[4][2]. Succeeds in most moist soils, preferring acid conditions[1]. Requires a constant supply of water, doing well by ponds, streams etc[4]. 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[5].
Transplants well, even when quite large[2].
Some named forms have been selected for their ornamental value[3].
Range: Europe, including Britain, from Norway south and east to N. Africa, Asia, N. and S. America.
Habitat: Swampy areas, fens and damp woodland[3].
Medicinal: The root is astringent, diuretic, tonic and vulnerary[2][6][7]. It is useful in the treatment of jaundice and removing obstructions of the viscera[2].
The fronds are used to make compresses for external application to wounds and rheumatic joints - for which purposes they are fairly effective[6].
An infusion of the fronds, combined with wild ginger roots (Asarum species) has been used in the treatment of children with convulsions caused by intestinal worms[8].
Usage: The hairs of the plant are mixed with wool and are used in making cloth[9][10].
The roots are the source of 'Osmunda fibre', this was once widely used for potting orchids and other epiphytes[1].
Plants can be grown as a ground cover when spaced about 1 metre apart each way[11].
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Seed Ripens: Early Summer-Late Summer
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 2.3 2.4 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Phillips, Roger and Martyn Rix. Perennials - The Definitve Reference. Pan Books, 1991.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Perennial Garden Plants. J. M. Dent & Sons, 1990.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Chiej, Roberto. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald, 1984.
- ↑ Lust, John. The Herb Book. Bantam Books, 1983.
- ↑ Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Plants for Ground Cover. Everyman, 1990.