Dicranopteris linearis var. brevis Manickam & Irudayaraj
Dicranopteris linearis var. inaequiloba B.K.Nayar & Geev.
Dicranopteris linearis var. tenuis Manickam & Irudayaraj
Dicranopteris rufinervis (Mart.) Ching
Gleichenia hermannii R.Br.
Gleichenia klotzschii Hook.
Gleichenia linearis (Burm.f.) C.B.Clarke
Gleichenia linearis var. rufinervis (Mart. ex Klotzsch) Posth.
Gleichenia mucronata Reinw.
Gleichenia pteridifolia Ces.
Gleichenia rigida Griff.
Gleichenia rufinervis Hook.
Mertensia cumingiana C.Presl
Mertensia discolor Schrad.
Mertensia hermannii (R.Br.) Poir.
Mertensia klotzschii Brack.
Mertensia lessonii A.Rich.
Mertensia linearis (Burm.f.) Fritsch
Mertensia pteridifolia C.Presl
Mertensia rigida J.Sm.
Mertensia rufinervis Mart.
Mertensia sieberi C.Presl
Mertensia spissa Fée
Sticherus rufinervis (Mart.) Nakai
Polypodium lineare Burm.f.
Platyzoma ferrugineum Desv.
Platyzoma latum Desv.
Pteris platyferra Christenh.
Pteris platylata Christenh.
Dicranopteris linearis is a common species of fern known by many common names, including Old World forked fern, uluhe (Hawaiian), and dilim (Filipino). It is one of the most widely distributed ferns of the wet Old World tropics and adjacent regions, including Polynesia and the Pacific.[3] In parts of the New World tropics its niche is filled by its relative, Dicranopteris pectinatus.[3]
Frond closup
This rhizomatous fern spreads via cloning, spreading along the ground and climbing on other vegetation, often forming thickets 3 metres deep or more. The stem grows from the rhizome, branches at a 45° angle, and forms fronds that continue to bud and branch. In this way the growth can continue for a long distance as the plant forms a mat, grows over itself in layers, and spreads.[4] When climbing, the leafy branches can reach over 6 metres long[5] and can climb 10 high when supported by a tree.[3] The ultimate segments of the leaves are linear in shape, up to 7 centimeters long by a few millimeters wide. The undersides are hairy and sometimes waxy.[6] It can also reproduce via spores.[4]
The fern grows easily on poorly drained, nutrient-poor soils and in disturbed habitats and steep slopes.[3][4] It does not tolerate shade, so once established it will eventually be shaded out by taller vegetation unless it climbs above it.[3] It may suppress the growth of new stands of trees, especially when it becomes a dense thicket.[3]
The fern is a keystone species in Hawaiian ecosystems, and dominates many areas in Hawaiian rainforests.[3] It occurs on all the main Hawaiian islands.[4] As a pioneer species in ecological succession, it can colonize bare sites such as lava flows, talus, and abandoned roads. When the fern grows onto a new site it produces layers of stems and leaves repeatedly until there is a network of vegetation. The leaves die and the stems are very slow to decompose, so the network persists. The network then fills with organic forest detritus, forming a litter layer which can be a meter thick. The network is penetrated by the fern's rhizomes and roots, such that the fern serves as its own substrate.[3] Where the fern is eliminated, invasive species of plants can move in, so "one important function" of the fern is to prevent these plants from encroaching on the rainforest.[3] The fern may have allelopathic effects, preventing the growth of other plants.[7] Also, the fern is a very productive member of the forest ecosystem; despite being a relatively small amount of the biomass in the forest it accounts for over half of the primary productivity in some areas.[3]
This plant is used medicinally to treat intestinal worms in Indochina, skin ulcers and wounds in New Guinea, and fever in Malaysia.[8]In vitro samples of the fern kill bacteria.[8]
The Diliman district in Quezon City in the Philippines' National Capital Region derived its name from Dicranopteris linearis, locally known as "Dilim" (the suffix "-an" indicates a place where something, in this case the fern, is common). As such, it is also the origin of the name of the University of the Philippines Diliman campus.[9]
The fiddleheads of the fern are used in floral arrangements.[4]
^"Dicranopteris linearis". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 2011-11-16.
^"Dicranopteris linearis (Burm.f.) Underw". Plants of the World Online. Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2017. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
^ abcdefghijRussell, A. E., et al. (1998). The ecology of the climbing fern Dicranopteris linearis on windward Mauna Loa, Hawaii. Archived 2021-07-15 at the Wayback Machine Journal of Ecology 86 765.
^ abcdeRomanchak, E., et al. The propagation and production of uluhe fern for potential use as a restoration species.
^Dicranopteris linearis. The Nature Conservancy.
^Dicranopteris linearis. Flora of New South Wales.
^Ismail, B. S. and C. Tut-Vun. (2007). Effects of the extract of Dicranopteris linearis on seed germination and seedling growth of selected common weeds in Malaysia. Archived 2011-10-01 at the Wayback Machine Allelopathy Journal 20:2.
^ abToji, T., et al. (2007). Antibacterial activity of Dicranopteris linearis under in vitro conditions. Archived 2012-03-20 at the Wayback Machine STARS Int. Journal (Sciences). 1:2 191-95.
^"Gifts of love and remembrance". 31 May 2014.
and 28 Related for: Dicranopteris linearis information
Dicranopterislinearis is a common species of fern known by many common names, including Old World forked fern, uluhe (Hawaiian), and dilim (Filipino)...
Abandoned areas have been conquered by overgrown guavas and the fern Dicranopterislinearis. The crevices and ridges of the island's mountains are covered with...
moist forests dominated by Acacia koa, Metrosideros polymorpha, and Dicranopterislinearis. It probably once occurred in several other types of ecosystem....
Society islands. Most savanna is dominated by the bright green fern Dicranopterislinearis, which can form dense patches up to two metres high, interspersed...
grass Sporobolus indicus and the ferns Pteridium aquilinum and Dicranopterislinearis. Other formerly-forested areas have been converted to a shrub savanna...
grandiflora. The understorey includes dense clumps of the fern Dicranopterislinearis and the shrubs Piper puberulum and Psychotria insularum. On coastal...
forests on all of the main islands. Associated plants include uluhe (Dicranopterislinearis), hala (Pandanus tectorius), koʻokoʻolau (Bidens spp.), kokiʻo (Hibiscus...
habitat include ʻōhiʻa lehua (Metrosideros polymorpha) and uluhe (Dicranopterislinearis), which dominate the canopy, and kanawao (Broussaisia arguta), ʻieʻie...
habitat types may include ohia (Metrosideros polymorpha), uluhe (Dicranopterislinearis), koa (Acacia koa), kauila (Alphitonia ponderosa), and poʻola nui...
mesic forests dominated by Acacia koa, Metrosideros polymorpha, and Dicranopterislinearis on Kauaʻi (Olokele Valley and Waimea Canyon) and East Maui (Auwahi)...
Selaginella arbuscula in the understory of Metrosideros polymorpha and Dicranopterislinearis. The plant can be differentiated from other Cyrtandra in part by...
suffruticosa), the Weeping Fig (Ficus benjamina), and the Resam (fern) (Dicranopterislinearis). Elsewhere in other areas, at has been assessed as Least Concern...
and Coprosma savaiiensis. Tree ferns (Cyathea spp.), the fern Dicranopterislinearis, and the climber Freycinetia storckii grow in the forest understory...
elevations. It also grows in scrub and slopes covered by the fern Dicranopterislinearis. On Huahine it grows in montane forest on the island's central crest...
by koa (Acacia koa), ohia (Metrosideros polymorpha) and uluhe (Dicranopterislinearis). It is found in the Kokee area of northwestern Kauai, which is...
gradually being replaced with forest again. Dominant plant species are Dicranopterislinearis, Hopseed (Dodonaea viscosa), Pandanus tectorius and Pteridium esculentum;...
Snails are most common in areas with a high percent cover of both Dicranopterislinearis (uluhe) and ohia lehua and are not present in areas where ohia cover...
with introduced orange trees and common guava (Psidium guajava), Dicranopterislinearis fernlands, and grasslands. The lowland atoll forests of the uninhabited...
exhausted, the hillside fields were abandoned and overgrown by Dicranopterislinearis fern, becoming known as rautuanu'e ("covered in forked fern"). Concurrently...
the locality consisted of various montane species dominated by Dicranopterislinearis (Gleicheniaceae), Dipteris conjugata (Dipteridaceae) and Machaerina...
Global Information
