Common Name: Skeleton Fork Fern

General Information

Skeleton fork fern is a perennial, terrestrial or epiphytic fern-like plant with stems up to 60cm long, either growing erect or, when growing as an epiphyte, often pendulous[]. A primitive plant with short, creeping rhizomes, but lacking true roots[].
The plant is sometimes harvested from the wild for local use as a tea. It is commonly cultivated as an ornamental[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

Found throughout the tropics and subtropics.

Habitat

Found in moist to dry localities, on soil, among rocks, and on trees in Hawaii[]. In thickets, open forests and clearings, on trunks of trees or in rocky crevices of cliffs, at elevations from sea level to 1,300 metres in Guatemala[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	0.60 m
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Plants grow best with some sun and some shade[]. Plants can be epiphytic, when growing in the soil they prefer well-drained, sandy soils[]. Prefers a neutral to slightly acid soil[].

Edible Uses

The whole plant is made into a tea[].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

The spores are sometimes used as a dusting and drying powder, like talcum powder[].

Propagation

Seed -
Division.

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