Fern species group brief details. Ferns: their types and names. Equosporous ferns - types and names

Despite the wide variety of ferns, none of them bloom. But the plant effectively reproduces by spores and rhizomes. From the article you will learn not only the names of ferns, but also get acquainted with their growth characteristics.

Ferns are an ancient group of plants belonging to spore perennial groups. Appeared on earth in the era of dinosaurs. Today, the variety of ferns is represented by 10 thousand species. Sizes range from tiny to huge.

They live in reservoirs and deserts, in swamps and rocks, in the tropics and in the north. In the temperate zone, there are several dozen varieties of ferns that have openwork pinnate fronds instead of true leaves, as well as strong stems - rachis.

Video "Fern care"

In this video, an expert will tell you how to properly care for a fern.

Main types

The whole variety of ferns fits into one class. The modern classification of ferns includes 300 genera and 8 subclasses, which include more than a thousand species. Three subclasses have already disappeared from the face of the Earth, only such actual groups remain:

marattiaceae;
zhovnikovye;
real ferns;
Marsiliaceae;
salvinic.

Marattiaceae

In the Carboniferous period, this group was the most numerous and prosperous. Among the modern Maratti representatives, there are only 7 main genera living in tropical rainforests and mountain ranges. Able to form dense liana thickets 4–5 m high.

The most famous are 3 of these types:

Marattia. Includes 60 species, reach a height of 2 m.
Angiopteris. Consists of over 100 species. The wide, thick stem has a tuberous shape and reaches a diameter of 1 m. Huge large vines grow up to 5–6 m and rise regally above the ground.
Macroglossum. Settled in Sumatra and Kalimantan.

A characteristic feature is a paired organ with a huge amount of starch at the base of the leaves.

Uzhovnikovye

They are considered the most mysterious and peculiar ferns, distributed on all continents. The name translates as "snake, snake tongue" for its characteristic appearance.

It differs in medium size (up to 40 cm), and only tropical representatives of ferns grow large (sometimes up to 4 m). For example, Uzhovnik drooping, in which drooping leaves grow to gigantic sizes.

The classification includes 3 types:

The cook;
Helminthostachis;
Moonwort.

All zhovnikovye are distinguished by special leaves that do not twist into a snail when budding. The spore-bearing leaves from the barren segment look like a spikelet.

real ferns

These are the most common and numerous types of ferns. They live everywhere: in the tropics, forest areas and even deserts. Represented by both herbaceous and species. In nature and on the site are found:

multi-horned representatives. Prefer shady moist forests;
The bubble is brittle. Very poisonous, a naturalist can meet him in mountain ranges;
Common ostrich. An effective antihelminthic. Grows along rivers, in shaded forests, spruce forests;
The female kochedyzhnik is an ornamental plant used by designers to decorate landscapes. Beautiful huge leaves grow up to 1 m;
Common eagle. Edible view from high level protein and starch.

Marsiliaceae

They belong to aquatic plants, which can be found both in the reservoirs of Europe and in African lakes. The most popular is Salvinia floating. Aquarists actively plant a small-leaved graceful fern along the bottom. One of the varieties - Azolla - is small in size, and looks like duckweed.

By place of growth

Ferns grow all over the globe. They feel comfortable in the mountains, forests, ponds, tropical jungles and even arid areas. Many of them are cultivated and serve as decorations for arboretums, parks and greenhouses.

Renal

Shady forests hide a great variety of ground cover ferns, which are characterized by lush and abundant leaf blades with pinnate dark green fronds and an elongated shoot. They need moisture to thrive.

The following varieties are widespread:

Holokuchnik Linnaeus;
The coniogram is average;
Holokuchnik Robert;
Phegopteris beech.

rocky

Among the rocks, high in the mountains, you can find unusual varieties of ferns. Tender plants cling firmly to rocky and gravel areas. Among them are:

The vesicle is brittle;
Pharmacy scraper;
Centipede;
Woodsia elbe.

All representatives of this group are dry-loving. To exist in the mountains, they have dense fronds.

So, Spike moss is a miracle fern that can do without water for 100 years. But as soon as it is lowered into a liquid, the plant comes to life and becomes bright green. An amazing find for the florarium.

swampy

Marsh ferns undoubtedly deserve special attention:

Osmunda is royal. Forms a powerful rosette-bump of doubly pinnate wai. Another name for the plant is Majestic Chistoust;
Phlebodium is a beautiful deciduous plant, which is also called the blue fern for its bluish tint;
Telipteris marsh. On the water surface it forms unusual quagmires, is a rare species;
Onoklea sensitive has an unusual rosette of leaves of two types that differ in shape. Floats on the surface of lakes;
Woodwardia virginiana. Large representative, preferring swamps.

Water

In the waters of Africa and southern Europe, Salvinia floating is found. It is cultivated for home ponds and aquariums. On the surface of shallow lakes, one can find Marsiliaceae ferns, whose fronds are strikingly reminiscent of clover and are edible.

Forest

Forest dwellers include:

Phyllitis scolopendrium. Likes beech and coniferous forests. The arrangement of the sori resembles a centipede;
Microsorum centipede. Resistant and unpretentious variety for cultivation;
Antler. Distributed in the tropics, reaches a gigantic size;
Brown's multi-rows and bristle-nosed. They have thick rhizomes, hairy petioles, leathery dark green rosettes;
Cyrtomium. One of the rare species of the Centipede family;
Asplenium (Bird's Nest) grows in rainforests and is also grown in pots as a houseplant;
Selaginella moss. Planted at home in florariums, does not require complex care, needs moisture and watering.

Thanks to excellent appearance ferns are able to decorate flower beds, alpine slides, give a mysterious and unusual look. Since ancient times, people have adapted to use parts of various plants for medicinal, food and decorative purposes.

Ferns grow in damp, shady places. Almost all of them are perennials. Few herbaceous plants characteristic of middle climatic latitudes belong to annuals.

The fern has beautiful leaves that are also varied in color, size and shape. The surface of the leaves in some species is smooth, with a brilliant sheen, in others it is fluffy and hairy.

The place of ferns in the plant world

Ferns belong to higher plants . They differ from the lower ones by the presence of special organs:

root;
stem;
leaves.

Higher ferns, in turn, are subdivided:

on vascular;
into checkered or bryophytes.

The fern belongs to the first group, distinguished by the presence vascular fibrous bundles. So, for example, in the leaves these bundles are contained in the form of veins along which the juices move.

The fern is divided into two subclasses:

real;
water.

How many types of ferns are there? real ferns striking variety. We can say about them that some can look like moss and grow densely on the trunks of tropical trees, reaching a size of several centimeters. This variety is called epiphytes. Translated from Greek means "on a plant." Others can reach twenty-five meters in height and resemble sprawling palm trees in their appearance. Castings are several meters long.

Water ferns will be discussed below.

Reproduction and distribution

In the absence of flowers, ferns reproduce with the help of dispute. Since such a method was not known to science until the nineteenth century, the fern was called secretly married. In addition to spores, the so-called brood buds, which develop on leaves, can be reproductive organs.

Most ferns - up to 3000 species - are distributed through the tropical forests. In total there are up to 4000 species.

Modern ferns are mostly herbaceous plants. Perennials with strongly developed roots grow in areas with a temperate climate.

Equosporous ferns - types and names

Organizing ferns is no easy task. By type of spores, they are equally spores, that is, their spores are of the same sex.

Equosporous, in turn, are divided according to sporangia- the body that produces disputes. In some ferns, it develops from one group of cells and is equipped with a single-layer wall, in others it develops from several and has a multilayer wall.

These are very ancient plant species that had widespread. Today there are about two hundred of them.

Ferns with multi-layered sporangium

These include the Uzhovnikov and Maratti families.

From the first in Russia there are:

ordinary dinner man;
grass key.

The latter are common in the humid tropics, often in mountainous areas:

angiopteris;
macroglossum;
marattia.

The family of zhovnikovyh

Uzhovnikovye, pagan - these are Russian names. The literal translation from Latin sounds like "serpent tongue". The shape of the leaves of this family just gave the name to these plants. They are divided in two and resemble a fork. Each part performs its function. One is vegetative (reproduction by means of leaves), the other is fertile (spore-bearing).

About eighty species are known, the classification of which is combined into three genera:

cook;
moonwort;
helminthostachis.

Uzhovnikovye- one of the most ancient groups of plants. They are very different from other types of ferns in their biological characteristics and occupy a rather isolated position. Uzhovnikovye - plants are perennial, sometimes evergreen, small or medium in size. They prefer loose and moist soil, open areas. However, some tropical species, like moss, settle on tree trunks in the dark corners of the rainforest.

The largest member of the family is dangling supper. In accordance with its name, it has hanging leaves that are two or even four meters long. But there are also very small plants - only a few centimeters long.

Uzhovnikovye have stems, which for the most part are rhizomes that have made their way out of the ground and stand, as it were, at attention. They are thick and fleshy. The only exception is helminthostachis with horizontal roots. As a rule, branching of the stems is not observed. Stems and leaves of zhovnikovyh soft, fleshy, unlike most ferns. Roots devoid of hairs usually contain lower fungi associated with them, the so-called mycorrhizal fungi.

Leaves of uzovnikovyh are very peculiar. They do not have the twisting characteristic of most ferns when they emerge from the kidney, resembling a snail. Another feature of the leaves is the presence of special sheaths that obscure the kidney.

Basically, every year zhovnikovye form one leaf, less often - four. Therefore, the number of leaf scars on the rhizome makes it possible to judge the age of the fern. The slow growth of the leaves is also a feature that characterizes the "snake tongues". The leaves fully come to the surface by about the fifth year of their development.

In our country, the snakes are distributed in pine forests, it is there that they are very diverse. These include, for example, multipartite grapevine.

Marattiaceae family

There are more than 60 types of them. Although they resemble their tree counterparts, they are not. Marattiaceae sometimes they reach very impressive sizes and are among the largest plants on Earth. But their size is not determined by the stem, but by five- and six-meter leaves. At the base they are provided with stipules. The stems themselves are no longer than one meter, look like potato tubers and are almost half in the soil.

Marattievs, like zhovnikovs, are distinguished by their originality. Their giant leaves have appendages at their base that do not disappear after falling. They not only protect the plant, but also accumulate starch. They are also intended for reproduction. They have kidneys that are at rest. When favorable conditions come, the buds give life to new ferns. In the stems, leaves and roots of Marattiaceae, mucus passages are necessarily present. They are long channels, separate cavities or cells and serve to preserve substances that are temporarily excluded from metabolism.

Related to the Maratti angiopteris live in shady swampy forests and gorges, are very numerous. They are also found along roads and along rivers. Their huge leaves are doubly pinnate. In pinnate leaves, the leaf blades are arranged along the length of the main petiole. And the two-pinnate are divided twice, their plates are attached along the second petioles connected to the main petiole. The main and secondary petioles have thickenings at the joints. Thanks to this feature, the petioles look like a bamboo stalk and have a thickness comparable to the thickness of a human hand.

Most of this family is extinct. Of these living fossils, only seven genera survive today. They live in tropical areas. Marattiaceae are often bred in greenhouses.

Unisporange: types of ferns, names and photos

The sporangia of this species of ferns fuse into one whole, representing, as it were, a shell fixed on a leg. These include, in particular, polypodiums or centipedes and Salvinia.

Polypodiums

Polypodiums- one of the most numerous fern-like families, uniting 50 genera and about 1500 species. Their leaves are two-rowed, the roots are fleshy, overgrown with hairs. A characteristic feature of centipedes is the unusual crowded arrangement of sporangia on the leaves.

These are perennial plants covered with scales, their rhizome is either creeping or tending upwards. The leaves are both pinnate, and doubly pinnate, and lobed - having incisions, consisting of several plates emerging from one point.

These plants are distributed mainly in the tropical zone of Eurasia. Most often they belong to epiphytes and can grow both on trees and on rocks, and in the ground.

Water ferns - genus Salviniaceae

Salvinia not so widespread. Its characteristic is that it refers to annual aquatic plants growing close to the bank of a river or in a swamp and calmly floating on the water. In appearance, they resemble a four-leaf clover. Its most common genera are Marsilia and Salvinia. Their sporangia are located inside the sporocarps.

Sporocarps are leaves or parts of them that have changed a long time ago, containing two or three bunches of sporangia. They are located at the base of the leaf, have a grayish-brown color and resemble a bean in shape.

Salvinia waterfowl has no roots. Found in the southern regions of Russia. Its stalk is branched, covered with water and aerial leaves. The leaves are whorled, located two or three on each node of the stem. Whorls of both types alternate with each other. First there are four rows of air leaves, and then two rows of water. In accordance with their name, air floats on the water surface, and water immersed in it.

There is such a variety of Salvinia as Azolla. It is also interesting for its structure. Azolla has a branched stem, in which there are two rows of leaves on the “back”, and one row of roots on the “belly”. Each sheet is divided into two halves, one of which is afloat and the other is submerged in water.

Fern breeding

Ferns are bred at home room conditions and in greenhouses. You need to grow them in dark places, not exposed to direct sunlight. The surrounding air should be humid, the light is dim, the temperature is moderate. Watering is required very plentifully. Ferns especially love river and rain water. The earth needs loosened and rich in humus. They reproduce by layering and spores. At the same time, green spores germinate in a very short period of time.

Some interesting facts about ferns

In the cuisines of some peoples of the world, for example, in Korean and Chinese, from dried or salted young fern leaves prepare salads which are popular. But only a very small number of species can be eaten. These include Ostrich and Orlyak. And some species are even poisonous.

In the Hawaiian Islands, the starchy core is the food. tree ferns. It is also used as a building material.

Japanese scientists have identified such an ability of the fern as the removal of radioactive substances from the human body.

From ancient times to the present, it has been used in medicine male fern. Preparations are made from it that expel worms, for example, a tapeworm. However, when using such drugs, you need to be extremely careful and take them strictly in accordance with the recommendations.

Fern leaves are actually not leaves, but a system consisting of branches located in the same plane. Therefore, it is called a pre-run or a flat branch. Ferns "did not have time" to separate the stem and leaf.

The most common of the fern species in the temperate forest zone is Kochedyzhnik female. It has a wide variety of shapes and sizes and is a fertile material for hybridization. The female fern is a real decoration of gardens and parks.

The female fern got its name because of a comparison with another species - the male fern, belonging to the genus Shchitovnikov. The male plant has larger leaves and stem.

Varieties of ferns with pictures

Ferns are a group of spore plants that have conductive tissues (vascular bundles). It is believed that they originated more than 400 million years ago, back in the Paleozoic period.

Rhinophytes are considered ancestors, but fern-like plants in the process of evolution have acquired more complex system structures (leaves, root system appeared).

Signs of ferns

Ferns are characterized by the following features:

Variety of forms, life cycles, building systems. There are three hundred genera and approximately 10 thousand plant species (the most numerous of the spore ones).

High resilience to climate change, humidity, the formation of a huge number of spores - the reasons that led to the resettlement of ferns throughout the planet. They are found in the lower tiers of the forest, on a rocky surface, near swamps, rivers, lakes, grow on the walls of abandoned houses and in the countryside. The most favorable conditions for fern plants are the presence of moisture and heat, so the greatest variety can be found in the tropics and subtropics.

All ferns need water for fertilization.. They go through two periods in their life cycle:

Prolonged asexual (sporophyte);
short sexual (gametophyte).

When the spore hits a wet surface, the germination process is immediately activated, the sexual phase begins. The gametophyte is attached to the ground with the help of rhizoids (formations similar to roots are needed for nutrition and attachment to the substrate) and begins to grow independently. The newly formed sprout forms the male and female reproductive organs (antheridia, archegonia), they form gametes (spermatozoa and eggs), which merge and give life to a new plant.

During the opening of the sporangia (the place where spore cells mature), many spores spill out, but only a part of them survive, because further growth requires a humid environment and a shady area.

Climbing ferns on the ground can reproduce vegetatively, the leaves, in contact with the soil, with sufficient moisture, give new shoots.

Fern stalks have many different shapes., but inferior in size to foliage. When the stalk at the top bears leaves, it is called a trunk, it is provided with a branching root, which gives stability to tree ferns. Curly stems are called rhizome, can stretch for considerable distances.

ferns never bloom. In ancient times, when people did not know about spore reproduction, there were legends about a fern flower that had magical properties, whoever finds it will gain an unknown power.

Progressive features in the structure of ferns

Roots have appeared, they are subordinate, that is, the original root does not function in the future. It is replaced by roots sprouted from the stem.

Leaves do not yet have a typical structure, this is a collection of branches located in the same plane called frond. They contain chlorophyll, which is responsible for photosynthesis. Vayi also serve for reproduction, on the reverse side of the leaf there are sporangia, after they ripen, the spores open and rash.

Adult ferns are diploid organisms.

Classification of ferns by class

real ferns is the most numerous class. Representative male thyroid – perennial, reaches a height of up to 1 m. The rhizome is thick, short, covered with scales, leaves are located on it. It grows on moist soil in mixed and coniferous forests. Common bracken lives in pine forests large sizes. It multiplies quickly, takes root well, so it can occupy large areas if used in parks or gardens.

horsetail- herbaceous ferns, grow from a few centimeters to 12 meters ( giant horsetail), while the diameter of the stem is about 3 cm, so in order to develop them it is necessary to use other trees as a support. The foliage is modified to scales, the stem is evenly divided by nodules into internodular areas. The root system is represented by adventitious roots, in the soil there is also a part of the rhizome, which can form tubers (organs of vegetative propagation).

- refer to the ancient plant species that inhabited our planet in the Carboniferous period. There is a stem, immersed in the soil to the middle, adventitious roots. Now they are gradually dying off, they are found only in tropical zones. They have huge bunk leaves, up to 6 meters long.

Uzhovnikovye- terrestrial herbaceous plants up to 20 cm in height (there are exceptions that reach 1.5 m in length). Representatives have a thick root that does not give branches. The rhizome, for example, semilunar grapevine short, does not branch, and worm-grate- winding, spreading along the ground.

- aquatic fern plants (inhabit the waters of Africa, southern Europe), which have a root for attaching to highly moistened soil. They are heterosporous; male and female gametophytes develop separately. After maturation, the adult dies, and the sori sink to the bottom, from which spores will emerge in the spring and rise from the depth to the surface of the water, where fertilization occurs. Used as aquarium plants.

The value of fern plants

The remains of ferns gave deposits of minerals: coal, which is widely used in industry (as fuel, chemical raw materials). Some species are applied as fertilizer.

Ferns are food and home for lower animals. They release oxygen during photosynthesis.

The beauty of plants attracts landscape designers, so they are grown as decorations. Some species can be used for food (bracken foliage).

Ferns (Polypodiophyta),or ferns are spore-bearing terrestrial plants with strongly dissected feathery leaves. They live on land in shady places, some in the water. Spread by spores. They reproduce asexually and sexually. Fertilization in ferns occurs only in the presence of water.

In shady forests and damp ravines, ferns grow - herbaceous plants, less often - trees, with large, strongly dissected leaves.

Ferns are widespread throughout the world. They are most numerous and diverse in Southeast Asia. Here, ferns completely cover the soil under the forest canopy, grow on tree trunks.

Ferns grow both on land and in water. Most are found in damp, shady places.

All ferns have a stem, roots and leaves. Strongly dissected fern leaves are called fronds. The stem of most ferns is hidden in the soil and grows horizontally (Fig. 80). It does not look like the stem of most plants and is called a rhizome.

Ferns have well-developed conductive and mechanical tissues. Because of this, they can reach large sizes. Ferns are usually larger than mosses, and in ancient times reached a height of 20 m.

Conductive tissue in ferns, club mosses and horsetails, along which water and mineral salts move from the roots to the stem and further to the leaves, consists of long tube-shaped cells. These tubular cells resemble vessels, which is why the tissue is often referred to as vascular. Plants that have vascular tissue can grow taller and thicker than others because every cell in their body receives water and nutrients through vascular tissue. The presence of such tissue is a great advantage of these plants.

The stems and leaves of ferns are covered with a waterproof integumentary tissue. This tissue has special formations - stomata, which can open and close. When the stomata open, the evaporation of water accelerates (this is how the plant fights overheating), when they narrow, it slows down (this is how the plant fights excessive moisture loss).

asexual reproduction

On the underside of fern leaves there are small brownish tubercles (Fig. 81). Each tubercle is a group of spores in which spores mature. If you shake a fern leaf on white paper, it will be covered with brownish dust. These are spores that spilled out of sporangia.

Spore formation is the asexual reproduction of ferns.

sexual reproduction

In dry, hot weather, sporangia open, spores spill out and are carried by air currents. Falling on moist soil, spores germinate. From the spore, by division, a plant is formed, which is completely different from the plant that produces spores. It has the appearance of a thin green multicellular plate of a heart-shaped shape 10-15 mm in size. In the soil, it is strengthened by rhizoids. On its lower part, reproductive organs are formed, and in them - male and female germ cells (Fig. 82). During rain or heavy dew, spermatozoa swim up to the eggs and merge with them. Fertilization occurs and a zygote is formed. From the zygote, by division, a young fern gradually develops with a stem, roots and small leaves. This is how it goes sexual reproduction(see fig. 82). The development of a young fern is slow, and it will take many years until the fern produces large leaves and the first sporangia with spores. Then new plants with organs of sexual reproduction will appear from the spores, etc.

In shady deciduous and mixed forests, the male shield grows singly or in small groups. Its underground stem is a rhizome from which adventitious roots and leaves extend.

There are also other types of ferns: in pine forests - bracken, in spruce forests - needle-tailed shield, on swampy river banks - marsh telipteris, along ravines - common ostrich and female nomad (Fig. 83).

Some ferns, such as salvinia and azolla (Fig. 84), live only in water. Often, aquatic ferns form a continuous cover on the surface of lakes.

water ferns

Salvinia

Salvinia leaves are arranged in pairs on a thin stem. Thin threads extend from the stem, similar to branched roots. In fact, these are modified leaves. Salvinia has no roots. material from the site

Azolla

A small free-floating Azolla fern in Southeast Asia is used as green manure in rice fields. This is due to the fact that Azolla enters into symbiosis with the cyanobacterium anabena, which is able to assimilate atmospheric nitrogen and convert it into a form available to plants.

Ferns are components of many plant communities, especially tropical and subtropical forests. Like other green plants, ferns form organic substances during photosynthesis and release oxygen. They are the habitat and food for many animals.

Many types of ferns are grown in gardens, greenhouses, residential areas, as they easily tolerate conditions that are unfavorable for most flowering plants. Most often, ferns from the genus maidenhair are grown for decorative purposes, for example, maidenhair "Venus hair", platicerium, or antlers, nephrolepis, or sword fern (Fig. 85). AT open field usually an ostrich is planted (see fig. 83, p. 102).

Fern - herbaceous plant, representative of the Osmund family. Scientists consider North China, Korea, and the Far East to be its homeland. There is a fern in the forests of Russia, Ukraine, Finland, Central Asia, Mexico. The plant is a green stem with pinnately dissected leaves (see photo). The fern is considered one of the oldest plants on the planet, originating in the Devonian period. Pressed fern wood, according to scientists, became the material for coal.

In order to understand what this plant is, it is necessary to trace the stages of its development: the fern stem grows underground, young leaves called fronds begin to form in spring, then the leaves grow and most of all resemble a huge snail, the leaves unfold and become like a hook . The fern does not bloom, but reproduces with the help of spores.

Its scientific name Pteridium aguillinum(bracken fern) the plant received due to its resemblance to the wing of a huge bird (with Greek preton means "wing", aqulia means "eagle").

There are many interesting legends associated with the fern. People were very wary of this plant, because it looked very mysterious. Our ancestors did not understand how this plant reproduces if it never blooms. Fern blossoming was expected by people as a special holiday. According to a well-known belief, a person who finds a flower of this plant on the feast of Ivan Kupala will be able to become incredibly rich, since the earth itself opens up on this night and shows hidden riches. In Rus', they believed that this plant opens any locks and that you cannot hide a single secret in front of a fern. According to an ancient legend, the fern appeared thanks to the goddess of love Venus, supposedly she dropped her beautiful hair, and this amazing plant grew out of it. Another legend says that a girl fell off a cliff, and a spring arose in that place, and her hair became a plant that looked like a bird's wing.

Beneficial features

The beneficial properties of the fern are due to its valuable chemical composition. The plant is rich in alkaloids, starch, essential oils, flavonoids, tannins. Fern shoots contain carotene, tocopherol (vitamin E), riboflavin, or vitamin B2. The presence of alkaloids makes the plant beautiful anesthetic.

Fern contains a large amount of protein, similar to cereal protein, which is easily digested and has a positive effect on the body. With regular use, the plant has a positive effect on growth processes.

Fern beneficial effect on the functioning of the nervous system, tones the body. There is evidence that the plant helps to remove radionuclides from the human body.

For medicinal purposes, the rhizome of the plant is used, which is harvested in September. Fern is effective for varicose veins, inflammation of the sciatic nerve, and cramps in the calf muscle. With these diseases, the course of treatment is 3 weeks.

Use in cooking

Ferns have been used in cooking since ancient times. For food purposes, only two types of fern are used - bracken and ostrich. Edible are the so-called rachis, or plant shoots. And its young leaves are added to salads, fried, marinated, used instead of seasoning. Fern shoots taste like mushrooms. Due to the high presence of proteins, the plant was loved by the inhabitants of Japan, Korea, and the Far East. The calorie content of this product is 34 kcal per 100 grams.

There are two types of fern preparation: boiling and canning. Anyway, before cooking the plant, its shoots must first be boiled. You should not neglect this stage and fry fresh rachis: in this way you will spoil the dish, because the fern will be bitter. The leaves are washed in salted water. When the water boils, after a few minutes it is drained, the plant is washed and again poured with salted water. Next, the fern is boiled until tender. The shoots should not break, it is enough to bring them to a state where they will easily bend. The cooked plant is thrown into a colander and used according to culinary recipes.

A popular cooking option for fern is its salting. Thanks to salting, the product can be stored for a long time, and besides, you get an excellent “semi-finished product”, which can be turned into an amazing product very quickly. tasty dish. The plant is thoroughly washed, then placed in a glass jar and covered with salt, the fern is folded in layers, sprinkling them with table salt. Next, the container with the plant is pressed down on top with something heavy and placed for 14 days in a cool place. After two weeks, it will be necessary to drain the brine, and transfer the shoots to another container. Moreover, the plant is folded again in layers with the difference that the layer that was on top should be at the very bottom. The fern is again poured with brine with a minimum salt content of 22%. In this form, the fern can be stored for several years.

On sale there is a specially harvested fern for food purposes. The purchased product must be soaked in clean water for several hours to remove excess bitterness and salt. During this time, it is better to periodically drain the water and fill the plant with new water. After two hours, the fern is transferred to a saucepan and boiled for about 15 minutes without adding spices. In parallel, it is necessary to cut the onion and meat. Next, the meat and onions should be fried for vegetable oil. fern after heat treatment cut into small pieces and fried along with the rest of the ingredients. At the end of cooking, add 1 tbsp. l. soy sauce. The dish is served hot.

A well-known recipe for this herb is fern in Korean". Onions and carrots, cut into strips, stew on olive oil until golden. Fern sprouts are added to the vegetables in the pan and mixed thoroughly. The resulting mass is again thoroughly mixed and seasoned with seasoning for cooking carrots in Korean. Next, the vegetables are stewed until tender for 15 minutes.

Fern benefits and treatment

The benefits of the plant have long been known traditional medicine. The fern is used as painkiller for joint pain, headache. For rheumatism, it is recommended to take warm baths with fern decoction. Also, decoctions of the plant are effective for jaundice, diseases of the intestines and spleen. Externally, the plant is used for eczema, abscesses, scrofula. Fern root powder relieves congestion in the intestines and spleen.

A decoction of fern rhizomes can be prepared at home. To do this, boil 10 grams of crushed rhizome for 10 minutes in 200 ml of water. Take a decoction should be 1 tsp. along with bee honey. Sometimes the decoction is mixed with flour and taken by dividing the "dough" into 10 parts. Fern is a potent remedy, drugs on the basis of which it is impossible to take without medical indications. After taking the plant, be sure to put an enema and take a saline laxative. Taking other types of laxatives is strictly prohibited.

Outwardly, a decoction of fern is used as baths or rubdowns. In order to prepare a bath with a decoction, you will need 50 grams of rhizome per 3 liters of water. The broth is insisted for several hours, and then poured into a cool bath.

Fern harm and contraindications

The plant can cause harm to the body with uncontrolled use. It is better to use fern under the supervision of a phytotherapeutist or attending physician, since the plant is poisonous.

Fern is contraindicated for pregnant women.

Contraindications to its use are also fever, anemia, tuberculosis, liver and kidney disease, ulcers, chronic diseases.

In case of an overdose, the patient should wash the stomach and immediately seek medical help.