''Stenochlaena palustris'' (, or ''hagnaya'') is an edible medicinal fern species. In the

folk medicine Traditional medicine (also known as indigenous medicine or folk medicine) refers to the knowledge, skills, and practices rooted in the cultural beliefs of various societies, especially Indigenous groups, used for maintaining health and treatin ...

s of India and Malaysia, the leaves of this fern are used as remedies for fever, skin diseases, ulcers, and stomachache. This plant is a long-climbing fern with thin black scales and stems that can reach up to 20 m. It has pinnate fronds that are 30–100 cm long, petioles that are 7–20 cm long, and ovate lanceolate pinnae that are 10–15 cm long and 1.5–4.5 cm wide. The fern's sporophylls are long and narrow, and have brownish sori underneath. Acylated flavonol

glycoside In chemistry, a glycoside is a molecule in which a sugar is bound to another functional group via a glycosidic bond. Glycosides play numerous important roles in living organisms. Many plants store chemicals in the form of inactive glycosides. ...

s isolated from the fern were found to have antibacterial activities. Crude and partially purified extracts prepared from the fern have been shown to exhibit antifungal, antioxidant, and antiglucosidase activities. The district of

Diliman Quezon City (, ; ), also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read and pronounced in Filipino language, Filipino as Kyusi), is the richest and List of cities in the Philippines, most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 c ...

Quezon City Quezon City (, ; ), also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read and pronounced in Filipino language, Filipino as Kyusi), is the richest and List of cities in the Philippines, most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 c ...

, one of the Philippines' most important educational districts, is named after this fern. The species

epithet An epithet (, ), also a byname, is a descriptive term (word or phrase) commonly accompanying or occurring in place of the name of a real or fictitious person, place, or thing. It is usually literally descriptive, as in Alfred the Great, Suleima ...

''palustris'' is Latin for "of the marsh" and indicates its common habitat.

Cuisine

In the Malaysian state of

Sarawak Sarawak ( , ) is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia. It is the largest among the 13 states, with an area almost equal to that of Peninsular Malaysia. Sarawak is located in East Malaysia in northwest Borneo, and is ...

, the plant is called "Midin". It is a popular food among the locals. The young fronds are usually served stir-fried with garlic, dry shrimps, or Shrimp paste. (''Belacan''). In

Sabah Sabah () is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia located in northern Borneo, in the region of East Malaysia. Sabah has land borders with the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and Indonesia's North Kalima ...

, it is called "Lembiding". People usually cook it with sardines or belacan. In Vietnam, the young fronds are called and can be used in soups, salads and some stir fry dishes, especially with garlic.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q10863879 Ferns of Asia Medicinal plants Blechnaceae Taxa named by Nicolaas Laurens Burman