Asplenium antiquum

Asplenium antiquum is a fern of the group known as bird's-nest ferns. In Japanese it is known by ō-tani-watari and tani-watari.[1]

Asplenium antiquum
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Class: Polypodiopsida
Order: Polypodiales
Suborder: Aspleniineae
Family: Aspleniaceae
Genus: Asplenium
Species:
A. antiquum
Binomial name
Asplenium antiquum

Description

Asplenium antiquum is an evergreen fern, 2–3 ft. (60–90 cm).[2] It has bright green, arching blades with a pointed end and a strong midrib.[2] Asplenium antiquum can readily be distinguished from the closely related Asplenium nidus by its fronds of uniform width.

Chemical composition

Mearnsetin 3,7-dirhamnoside, a glycoside of the flavonol mearnsetin, can be found in A. antiquum.[3]

Taxonomy

A global phylogeny of Asplenium published in 2020 divided the genus into eleven clades,[4] which were given informal names pending further taxonomic study. A. antiquum belongs to the "Neottopteris clade",[5] members of which generally have somewhat leathery leaf tissue. While the subclades of this group are poorly resolved, several of them share a characteristic "bird's-nest fern" morphology with entire leaves and fused veins near the margin. A. antiquum belongs to one of these subclades, together with A. antrophyoides, A. cymbifolium, A. humbertii, and A. phyllitidis.[6] Other bird's-nest ferns, such as A. nidus sensu lato and A. australasicum, form a separate subclade which is not particularly closely related.[5]

Distribution

The fern is native to temperate East Asia, in China, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan on cliffs, dark forests, and tree trunks.[1][2] It is an IUCN endangered species in its native habitats.[1]

Cultivation

The fern is commonly available in the plant nursery trade as an ornamental plant in subtropical climates, and a house plant in the United States and Europe in zones 9 and 10. It requires high humidity and bright indirect light, so does best in a greenhouse or terrarium if grown indoors.[2] It needs regular watering and can do with minimal soil (similar to an orchid).[2] The soil should always be humid but not soaking wet.

See also

References
  1. "Asplenium antiquum". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 21 January 2018.
  2. Olsen, Sue. Encyclopedia of Garden Ferns. 2007.
  3. Mearnsetin 3,7-dirhamnoside from Asplenium antiquum. Mizuo Mizuno, Yosuke Kyotani, Munekazu Iinuma, Toshiyuki Tanaka, Hiroyuki Kojima and Kunio Iwatsuki, Phytochemistry, Volume 30, Issue 8, 1991, pages 2817-2818, doi:10.1016/0031-9422(91)85158-V
  4. Xu et al. 2020, p. 27.
  5. Xu et al. 2020, p. 31.
  6. Xu et al. 2020, p. 41.


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