Jurassic! Ferns, ferns, ferns …

Don’t you think it’s something of human nature boasting “I have special something”? That exclusive can be “Japanese endemic species” for Japanese forest, and so I myself have said it many times in this blog. Though, we Japanese belong to only one species, Homo Sapience, which spreads everywhere on the Planet Earth. It’s natural to expect we find another cosmopolitan species in the forest of Japanese archipelago, isn’t it? Recently, I’ve learned there is one such kind. Pteriodophytes, aka ferns.

Petris Cretica L. with mushrooms.
 This fern is really cosmopolitan.
 We can find it in Africa, Europe, Asia, and America.

According to Botanic Gardens Conservation International, Japan has roughly 7000 kinds of flora where about 2900 (40%) of them are endemic. It is a bit of pride of us on small islands. “Well, our nation is tiny compared with the continental neighbors, but we have such a rich biodiversity of our own!” Hmmm … I simply thought this applies for every plant of our land, ferns and moss included. In addition, intricate hues of greens in ferns or moss match perfectly well with Zen and tea ceremony both of which are the treasure of our culture. Look at the beauty of moss garden in Zen temples! So, my unassuming brain regarded many ferns we meet in our forest are uniquely Japanese, oh-so-Japanese plants. I was naïvely wrong.

Beautiful Polystichum polyblepharum,
 or Inode in Japanese,
 found in Miho CitizenForest 三保市民の森.
 It’s very common fern in Yokohama’s Citizen Forests.

The beloved cedar forest with ferns
 in Niiharu Citizen Forest 新治市民の森.

According to Atsushi Ebihara of National Museum of Nature and Science of Japan, when analyzing their DNA, 31.7% of seed plants are endemic in Japanese natural environment. In contrast, only 18%, or 112 species, of ferns are endemic and no family of Pteriodophytes in Japan belongs to endemic genus. (i.e. Japan has roughly 700-800 species of ferns in total.) Ebihara said it might be due to insufficient coverage of field studies about the genus. But the same families of Pteriodophytes and Bryophyte (aka moss) often spread all over the planet, regardless of Pacific, Atlantic, or Indian Ocean. Therefore, it is not surprising for Japan having smaller uniqueness of ferns and moss, he concluded. Wow. Is that so? Moreover, many Japanese endemic ferns are found in remote islands such as Okinawa 沖縄, Ogasawara Islands 小笠原群島 or Yakushima 屋久島. i.e. Absolute majority of the ferns and moss we find in Kanagawa Prefecture are international kinds that have relatives who could live in the opposite side of the planet. That’s … amazing. What a globalized world of ferns! 

I think it’s Thelypteris torresiana var. clavata,
 or Himewarabe in Japanese.
 According to Wikipedia, we can find it in
 East and Southeast Asia, Australia, and North America.
 A globe trotter, it is.

Thelypteris decursive-pinnata (van Hall).
  Wikipedia says we can encounter it in
 South, East and Southeast Asia.
 Its siblings must be experiencing vigorous economic growth now …

Then, I’ve learned in the 19th century Britons were crazy about ferns, which created a word “Pteridomania.” Of course, Chinese have been eating ferns for millennium. In Hawaii, palapalai, aka Microlepia strigose, is important symbol for island culture. Kiwis of New Zealand have certainly a good reason to take satisfaction in their unique world of ferns where they have rich list of endemic species. Ashanti of Ghana has well-established symbol of Aya, i.e. fern fronds, in their Adinkra symbols. Native American tribes, and people in Kerala of India have mythology with ferns … ad infinitum.

Hena pattern which is one of the standards
 of Liberty Print of London, with peacock-motif.
 When I bought it,
 I had a connotation with ferns somehow …

And actually, there is a fern called Maidenhair Fern,
 aka Adiantum pedatum, or Kujakushida in Japanese.
 “Kujaku” in Japanese means peacock.

Come to think of it, coals are fossils of ancient ferns some 300 million years ago. Many ferns are survivors of Jurassic period, adopting their reproduction strategy in keeping with changing environment for many many years. Patronizing them as “uniquely ours” must be laughably nonsense for this miraculous plant. Rather, they are patronizing us …? A sure thing is, finding their composed green in a forest during this scorching summer is literally cool. Let’s have a forest bathing next to ferns sighing in winds from mountain stream …

Could you see in this photo

Lemmaphyllum microphyllum Presl (Mamezuta in Japanese),

Crepidomanes Minutum (Uchiwagoke in Japanese),

 and Adiantum monochlamys Eaton (Hakoneshida in Japanese)?

Mamezuta can be found in East and Southeast Asia.

Hakoneshida is for East Asia.

Uchiwagoke is spreading all over

 from Africa to Polynesia along the equator.

 These tiny guys are tough.

Bushes of Hypolepis punctate (Thunb.) Mett. ex.Kuhn,
 or Iwahimewarabi in Japanese.
 Another regulars in East and Southeast Asia.
 In Japan it has reputation as a pioneer plant
 that comes out first after deforestation.

Yeah,
 a baby cicada found the place near ferns
 was comfortable to be an adult …

Just for our cooling-off …

If you find an environmental issues in Kanagawa Prefecture, please make a contact with Kanagawa Natural Environment Conservation Center 神奈川県自然環境保全センター

657 Nanasawa, Atsugi City, 243-0121 〒243－0121　厚木市七沢657

Phone: 046-248-0323

You can send an enquiry to them by clicking the bottom line of their homepage at http://www.pref.kanagawa.jp/div/1644/