Diplazium esculentum (Retz.) Sw. APNI* Description: Rhizome erect, sometimes more than 1 m in height; scales up to 10 by 1.2 mm, dark brown, black-margined, toothed with Y-shaped teeth. Stipes about 70 cm long.
Laminae variable in size, often more than 1 m long, bipinnate, or pinnate when young or small; lower 1 or 2 pinnae often reduced, larger pinnae up to 40 by 25 cm, rather suddenly narrowing towards acute apex; larger pinnules subsessile or shortly stalked, subcordate or auricled at base, narrowing towards acuminate apex, up to 13 by 2.5 cm, lobed to 1/4 way to costule; lobes rounded at apex, serrate, papyraceous; veins pinnate, veinlets up to 10 pairs, uniting with the opposite ones forming excurrent veinlets (seemingly goniopteroid venation). Sori on nearly the whole length of veinlets, often uniting with opposite ones.
Distribution and occurrence: Native to the tropics of Asia, north to central China and South Japan, east to the South Pacific Islands. In moist ground.
NSW subdivisions: *CC
Young fronds consumed as a vegetable.
Text by Louisa Murray Sep 2014
Taxon concept: Ferns of Thailand, Laos and Cambodia http://rbg-web2.rbge.org.uk/thaiferns/factsheets/index.php?q=Diplazium_esculentum.xml
APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data
***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.
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