''Microlepia strigosa'', known as hay-scented fern, lace fern, rigid lace fern and palapalai, is a

fern The ferns (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta) are a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. They differ from mosses by being vascular, i.e., having specialized tissue ...

indigenous to the Hawaiian islands and is also native to other parts of the tropics and subtropics including India and Malaysia. This fern belongs to a group of about seventy ''

Microlepia ''Microlepia'' is a genus of ferns in the family Dennstaedtiaceae described as a genus in 1836. Most of the species are native to Asia, with many endemic to China, although a few species occur also in Australia, Africa, the West Indies, Latin Ame ...

'' species in the bracken or hay-scented fern family (

Dennstaedtiaceae Dennstaedtiaceae is one of fifteen families in the order Polypodiales, the most derived families within fern, monilophytes (ferns). It comprises 10 genera with ca 240 known species, including one of the world's most abundant ferns, ''Pteridium aq ...

). There are two indigenous species and a hybrid found in the main Hawaiian Islands. It is also known by the botanical names: ''Davallia hirta'', ''Davallia setosa'', ''Davallia strigosa'', ''Dicksonia kaulfussiana'', ''Dicksonia strigosa'', ''Microlepia hirta'', ''Microlepia setosa'', ''Stenoloma tenuifolium'', ''Trichomanes strigosum''. It has coarse, light to medium green fronds which can grow to more than long.

Uses

Early Hawaiians used the fronds to decorate hula altars dedicated to Laka, goddess of hula. The ferns were used as head lei (''lei poʻo''), neck lei (''lei ʻāʻī''), and wrist lei (''lei kūpeʻe'') and to provide a soft base against the skin. The plants were believed to be a cure for insanity. It was also used to bathe in and young leaf fronds were fed to babies.

References

External links

GRIN-Global Web v 1.9.7.1: Taxonomy + distribution of ''Microlepia strigosa''

Plants for Hawaiian lei: Palapalai
(accessed September 25, 2015)
Hui ku Maoli Ola: Palapalai
(accessed September 25, 2015)
Bishop Museum Hawaiian Ethnobotany Online Database
(accessed September 25, 2015) {{Taxonbar, from=Q15236903 Dennstaedtiaceae Ferns of Asia Ferns of Oceania Native ferns of Hawaii Ferns of India Flora of China Flora of Japan Flora of Nepal Flora of Sri Lanka Flora of Thailand Flora of Vietnam Flora of Guangxi Flora of Yunnan Plants described in 1849 Taxa named by Carl Borivoj Presl Native Hawaiian culture