Asplenium musifolium

MANILA, Philippines - Asplenium musifolium or Pakong Babae is one of the most common ferns in the market. The “babae” grex has nothing to do with the sex of the plant but rather refers to the shape of the leaves. The Pakong babae has rounded leaftip in contrast to the more common Asplenium nidus or “Pakong Lalake” which has pointed leaftip.

The classification method based on leaftip shape does not help in taxonomy of the different simple-leaf Aspleniums. Another Philippine asplenium, the Leyte Asplenium (no scientific identification yet) may have leaf tips broader and rounder than the Asplenium musifolium. It may grow big fronds, too to compete with the A. musifolium in size. To complicate matters, some Asplenium nidus can grow as big as the regular-sized Asplenium musifolium.

Asplenium musifolium is named based on the size and shape of its leaves. “Musifolium” means banana leaf and most plants have the potential to grow into big specimens with fronds reaching 2.5 meters in length. The width of each leaf may reach up to 24 inches (61 cm.). 

The Asplenium musifolium is native to several countries: Malaysia, India, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and the Philippines. The Asplenium musifolium from different parts of the world examined by the author were not as big as the Luzon-collected ones. This may probably be explained by the drier conditions foreigners subject the plants to.

The Filipinos fell in love with the A. musifolium during the 50’s and onwards. There were fashion shoots in old magazines done with models stepping into the wide central core of the crown and was a favorite landscape accent of landscapers then. The Asplenium musifolium is considered by many as the most spectacular Asplenium in the garden world.

Green and Grow Inc. succeeded in tissue culturing the species back in 1982. The proprietor, Dr. Vicente L. Saplala is the first person to point out the difference between Asplenium nidus and the Asplenium musifolium. He explained that the midrib of the Asplenium nidus is on top while the midrib of Asplenium musifolium is below and that the A. musifolium can grow a lot bigger than the A. nidus. That information happens to be the easiest character to check whether a particular Asplenium is A. nidus or A. musifolium. With the advent of other Asplenium species into the Philippine horticultural scene like Asplenium colubrinum, Asplenium cymbifolium and Asplenium antiquum (from Japan), Asplenium australasicum (from Australia) and Asplenium simplicifrons (from Australia), it gets a little more complicated. 

As more mutant (horticultural) forms come into the market, it is almost impossible to determine which species is which. Horticultural aberrational forms like fasciation, crestation, bifurcation, plication and multilobatum forms of Asplenium musifolium are replicated in the different species of Aspleniums also. This means that Asplenium colubrinum will have its own crestatum, plicatum, multilobum and bifurcatum forms and so with the A. nidus and other species. It is this diversity in morphological forms that horrifies the pure botanists (taxonomists) and excites the horticulturists to the maximum. 

Another issue is the inclusion of Asplenium nidus in the Philippine Red list and not the other simple leaf Aspleniums. Although nursery-propagated Asplenium musifolium is more common in the market, it is not easy for the field officers to distinguish the offending species by simply looking at them. Field officers have to be trained in identification of the different simple-leaf Aspleniums.

Asplenium musifolium is cultivated by plant suppliers because of its huge commercial potentials. This resulted in production of different horticultural forms that made Philippines the center of horticultural diversity for simple-leaf Aspleniums. Thais and Indonesians come to Philippines looking for new forms everytime there are flower shows. The current craze in Asplenium musifolium plicata “Cobra” is starting to heat up allover the world. Few years back, a big plant was selling for P350,000.  

The research on identification of the different simple-leaf Asplenium species is on its way. It is now easier for horticulturists to distinguish the different species even if the fronds are mutated, doubly mutated or triply mutated based on midrib characteristics.