Common Name:

General Information

Cibotium glaucum is an evergreen tree fern usually growing up to 3 metres tall, but occasionally to 8 metres. The bole, which can be 20 - 60cm in diameter, is topped by a rosette of large fronds[]. Individual fronds can be 6 metres long[].
The plant is gathered from the wild, mainly for local use as a source of fibre and emergency food supply.
The export of fibre for use as a stuffing material, particularly from this species, had a negative impact on the Hawaiian forests. Tall plants were cut down to gather the fibre more easily. From 1851 to 1884, several hundred thousand kilos of fibre were collected annually from the Kīlauea region on Hawaii Island and shipped to North America with a peak in 1862 of over 335,000 kilos. The onslaught seriously altered the native forests by removing the understory plants and thus making room for alien species to invade the forests. Fibre gatherers would often kill the entire plant for the fibre on the top. However, the trunks are basically an entire root structure in themselves and those plants that were cut down without destroying the plant usually grew back[].

Known Hazards

Although we have found no reports of toxicity for this species, a number of ferns contain carcinogens so some caution is advisable[].
Many ferns also contain thiaminase, an enzyme that robs the body of its vitamin B complex. In small quantities this enzyme will do no harm to people eating an adequate diet that is rich in vitamin B, though large quantities can cause severe health problems. The enzyme is destroyed by heat or thorough drying, so cooking the plant will remove the thiaminase[].

Botanical References

Range

Pacific - Hawaii.

Habitat

An understorey plant in mesic to wet forests, usually at elevations of 450 - 1,500 metres but sometimes descending to almost sea level[, ].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Fern
Height	3.00 m
Growth Rate	Slow
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of moderate elevations in the Tropics. It grows in areas where the mean annual rainfall is in the range 1,250 - 2,500mm[].
Plants can tolerate full sun if grown on a slope facing away from the direction of the sun, otherwise it grows better in dappled shade[]. Prefers a slightly acidic, well drained soil with ample moisture[].
A very slow-growing plant, generally increasing in height by only 2 - 3cm a year once past the seedling stage[].

Edible Uses

The uncoiled fronds, known as fiddles, can be cooked and eaten[]. Considered to be delicious by native people when boiled[].

The starchy core of the plant has been eaten as a famine food[]. A single trunk can contain 23 - 32 kilos of almost pure starch and it was considered to be the most important food in lean times[].

Medicinal

A soft, woolly material found around the base of the fronds contains tannins and is astringent. It was used traditionally for dressing wounds and embalming bodies[, ].

The plant is used as an appetizer and blood purifier[]. The pith of the trunk is used in combination with the roots of Curcuma longa, Rumex giganteus and Cordyline fruticosa[]. For weak persons, and some chest pains, the pith is combined with the pith of Sadleria cyatheoides, the bark of Aleurites moluccana), the bark of Syzygium malaccense, the bark of Bobea spp, the root bark of Waltheria indica, Solanum americanum, Senna occidentalis, noni fruits (Morinda citrifolia), and white sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum)[].

Agroforestry Uses:

An excellent understorey plant for the landscape to help control erosion[].

Other Uses

A soft, woolly material is found around the base of the fronds[]. Known as pulu, it was used traditionally for dressing wounds, embalming bodies, and for pillow and mattress stuffing[].

Young stems were formerly used to make hats[].

The starch obtained from the trunk has been used as a stiffener for laundry[].

The outer fibrous part of the trunk has been used to line or form baskets for plants[].

The fibrous material of the trunk has been used as an orchid and anthurium growing media[].

Propagation

Spores - these should be collected from mature fronds of healthy plants. The most mature fronds are generally those lower down on the plant. The spore containers (sori) on these fronds should appear full and plump. The frond branches (pinnae) should be removed from the main frond stem and dried in paper bags, envelopes, or folded newspaper packets. Place each frond piece in its own paper container with the spore side down. To ensure that the spores dry quickly and do not go mouldy, place the containers in a single layer in a warm, dry location for 2 or 3 days. The ripe spores will fall off of the fronds. The spores can be separated from the remaining debris using a very fine screen or sieve[].
Sanitation is an important part of sowing fern spores to prevent both fungal infections and cross contamination by other fern spores. Any sowing medium needs to be fully sterilized before sowing the spores. The cleaned spores are spread on the surface of the sterilized mix and moistened with a fine spray of distilled water. Mixing the spores with water and spraying them onto the planting mix can provide more even distribution. Place a lid over the mix in order to prevent contamination and to maintain high humidity[].
Clean, dry spores can be stored in paper envelopes or packets. Place the envelopes in an air tight container and place it in the refrigerator[].

Side shoots that form on the main trunks can be used to form new plants[]. This species develops side shoots more frequently than other species in the genus. Success generally depends on the size of the side shoot, but plants from side shoots tend to grow slower than plants grown from spores[].

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