Drynaria quercifolia
Drynaria quercifolia is a species of epiphytic fern in the family Polypodiaceae, characterized by its dimorphic fronds and thick, fleshy rhizome covered in dark brown scales.[1][2] It features two types of fronds: sterile nest fronds that are ovate, up to 40 cm long and 30 cm wide, and lobed to collect humus and debris; and fertile foliage fronds that are pinnatifid, up to 130 cm long and 40 cm wide, with coriaceous, pale to mid-green laminae and round sori arranged in two regular rows.[2][3] The rhizome is approximately 2 cm thick, woolly, and bears scales that are 2–25 mm long and ginger to dark brown in color, allowing the plant to form large clumps on hosts.[3] Native to tropical regions, D. quercifolia is widely distributed from Hainan in China through tropical Asia, including India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, Borneo, Indonesia (Jawa, Lesser Sunda Islands, Maluku, Sulawesi, Sumatera), the Philippines, New Guinea, and extending to northern and western Australia (such as Cape York in Queensland and Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory), as well as the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Fiji.[1][2] It thrives as an epiphyte on tree trunks, lithophyte on rocks and boulder crevices, or occasionally as a terrestrial plant in primary and secondary rainforests, freshwater swamp forests, tropical vine forests, beach scrubs, disturbed areas, and along creek rock faces, primarily in wet tropical biomes.[1][2][3] This perennial, autotrophic fern grows up to 1.5 m in height, with wind-dispersed spores from exindusiate sori measuring 1–2 mm in diameter, and its fertile fronds are deciduous.[2][3] Notable for its ornamental value and traditional medicinal applications, D. quercifolia is cultivated in parks and along roadsides for its attractive foliage, often propagated by spores.[2] The whole plant, particularly the rhizome, which is bitter and astringent, is used in traditional medicine to treat conditions such as fever, swellings, bone fractures, cough, headache, and typhoid fever.[2][4] Commonly known as the oakleaf fern or oak-leaf basket-fern, it was first described as Polypodium quercifolium by Carl Linnaeus and later transferred to Drynaria by John Smith in 1841.[1][4]Taxonomy
Classification
Drynaria quercifolia is classified within the kingdom Plantae, phylum Tracheophyta, class Polypodiopsida, order Polypodiales, family Polypodiaceae, genus Drynaria, and species D. quercifolia.[1] The binomial name is Drynaria quercifolia (L.) J.Sm., with the authority attributed to John Smith in 1841; it is based on the basionym Polypodium quercifolium, originally described by Carl Linnaeus in Species Plantarum in 1753.[1][5] In the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group I classification published in 2016 (PPG I), the species was transferred to the genus Aglaomorpha as A. quercifolia due to phylogenetic evidence indicating that Drynaria was paraphyletic with respect to Aglaomorpha and related genera; however, a 2012 proposal to conserve the name Drynaria against Aglaomorpha for nomenclatural stability was advanced and accepted in 2016, and post-2016 taxonomic treatments, including updates in Plants of the World Online as of 2025, have reverted to recognizing it under Drynaria.[1][6][7][8] The genus Drynaria comprises approximately 32 accepted species of primarily epiphytic ferns, characterized by dimorphic fronds—where sterile fronds are broad and persistent for debris capture, forming nest-like baskets, while fertile fronds are narrower and bear sporangia.[9]Etymology and synonyms
The genus name Drynaria derives from the Greek drys (oak tree) or dryas (oak nymph or oak-shaped), referring to the oak-like, pinnatifid fronds characteristic of the genus.[10][2] The species epithet quercifolia originates from the Latin quercus (oak) and folium (leaf), emphasizing the fronds' resemblance to oak foliage.[2] The currently accepted name is Drynaria quercifolia (L.) J. Sm., based on the basionym Polypodium quercifolium L. from Species Plantarum (1753).[11] This species has accumulated numerous synonyms over time due to taxonomic revisions, with numerous heterotypic synonyms recognized, reflecting historical placements in genera such as Phymatodes, Aglaomorpha, and Drynariopsis. Key synonyms include:- Aglaomorpha quercifolia (L.) Hovenkamp & S. Linds. (2017)
- Polypodium quercifolium L. (1753)
- Phymatodes quercifolia (L.) C. Presl (1836)
- Drynaria brancifolia (C. Presl) T. Moore (1859)
- Drynaria morbillosa (C. Presl) T. Moore (1859)
- Drynariopsis quercifolia (L.) C. Presl (1836)
- Phymatodes brancifolia (C. Presl) C. Chr. (1906)
- Phymatodes sylvatica (Schkuhr) C. Presl (1836)