Hairy Sword Fern, Rough sword fern
Nephrolepis hirsutula

Family: Nephrolepidaceae

What it is like

A coarse fern with creeping rootstocks. It keeps growing from year to year and forms dense colonies. The stem is erect producing a tuft of fronds. The stalks are 10-40 cm long and pale brown. The fronds are narrow with leaflets. The fronds are 0.3 to 1.2 m long and 8 to 15 cm wide. They are erect or arch over. The leaflets are 5-10 cm long by 1-2 cm wide. The base has a narrow, triangle shaped lobe. There are rounded teeth along the edge. The plant grows both on the ground and on other plants. It is smaller than Nephrolepis biserrata. The fertile leaflets are more narrow than the sterile ones. The spore bodies or sori are near the edge of the leaf.

There are about 20 Nethrolepis species. They grow in the tropics. Also put in the family Davalliaceae.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. Widely distributed in low and medium altitudes in the Philippines. Common in Asia and the Pacific. It is normally in lowland areas near rainforest. It is very frost tender.

Countries/locations it is found in

American Samoa, Asia, Australia, Fiji, FSM, Guam, Hawaii, Indochina, Indonesia, Kiribati, Kosrae, Malaysia, Maldives, Marquesas, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Pacific, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Pohnpei, Polynesia, Rotuma, Samoa, SE Asia, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, USA, Vietnam, Wallis and Futuna

How it is used for food

The young shoots are cooked and eaten.

Edible parts

Shoots

How it is grown

It is easily grown but not easily transplanted. Plants can be grown from spores or from small plants produced on runners.

Its other names

Local names

Alolokdo, Ammokadede, Handifangivah, Handifilaa, Julia, Keesfilaa, Kohuku, Lau maile kimoa, Pakis kincha, Pakis pedang kasar, Paku andam, Paku jeler, Paku sepat, Saqato, Scaly swordfern, Te keang

Synonyms

Probably now Nephrolepis multiflora Polypodium hirsutulum Forst.f.; Nephrolepis exaltata var. hirsutula (Forst.f.) Bak.;