False staghorn fern (Dicranopteris linearis)

Resam or false staghorn fern (Dicranopteris linearis) is a plant species in the Gleicheniaceae, a common fern with stems growing from rhizomes, cylindrical in shape, straight, branching at an angle of 45 degrees, forming fronds that continuously sprout and branch.

D. linearis has white sorus and appears on the underside of the leaf, lining up along the left and right of the veins. Rhizomes spread by cloning, spreading along the ground and climbing other vegetation, often forming thickets 3 meters or more deep.

Colonies of this species form mats that are layered. The branches can reach over 6 meters in length and can climb up to 10 meters high if supported by the tree. The last leaf segment is linear, up to 7 cm long and a few millimeters wide. The underside is hairy and sometimes waxy.

This fern grows easily in infertile, nutrient-poor soils, disturbed habitats and steep slopes. This species dominates many areas of the rainforest as a pioneer species in ecological succession and colonizes empty sites such as lava flows, talus and abandoned roads.

When it grows in a new place it will produce layers of stems and leaves repeatedly until there is a network of vegetation. Dead leaves and stems decompose very slowly, so the tissue remains. The network is then filled with organic forest detritus, forming a layer of litter up to 1 meter thick.

The tissue is penetrated by rhizomes and roots, thereby serving as a substrate in itself. These ferns may have allelopathic effects and prevent the growth of other plants. This plant is used to treat worms, boils, skin wounds, fever and kill bacteria.

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Class: Polypodiopsida
Subclass: Polypodiidae
Order: Gleicheniales
Family: Gleicheniaceae
Genus: Dicranopteris
Species: Dicranopteris linearis
Variety: Dicranopteris linearis var. alternans, Dicranopteris linearis var. bidentata, Dicranopteris linearis var. ferruginea, Dicranopteris linearis var. inaequalis, Dicranopteris linearis var. linearis, Dicranopteris linearis var. rigida, Dicranopteris linearis var. stipulosa, Dicranopteris linearis var. subferruginea, Dicranopteris linearis var. subspeciosa
Form: Dicranopteris linearis f. emarginata

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