The Lasagne Fern

MANILA, Philippines - The Bird’s Nest Aspleniums are some of the best looking ferns of the world. There are several species available in the market namely: Asplenium nidus, A. musifolium, A. colubrinum, A. cymbifolium, A. phyllitidis, A. vittaeforme, A. antiquum, A. australasicum, A. simplicifrons, A. pachyphyllum, A. anthophyoides, A. grievelei, A. batuense, A. serratum and many others.  

All the above-mentioned species are pretty on their own but may be extremely variable. Different garden variants and mutants exist. Over the years, collectors and gardeners pay a premium for mutant plants. Mutations such as leaf forking (base forking, mid forking, tip splitters), crestation (parsley leaf, mermaid tails and dragon tails), serration, filiform (ostrich feather and crestated filiforms) and multilobatum (dear heart, starfish, worm-eaten, etc,) mutants occur in nature. The most striking and the best known form of bird’s nest Asplenium is the plicate (plicata-form) or the Lasagne Fern.

The leaves of plicata form bird’s nest ferns are folded like a fan on both sides perpendicular to the midrib of the lamina giving it an over-all scalloped or pleated look approaching that of Lasagna noodle. Lasagne Ferns grow slowly compared to normal plants of the same species.

Generally, the Lasagne (or plicata) Aspleniums are rigid and crunchier than normal Aspleniums of the same species and therefore subject to wind and mechanical damage. It is a challenge for gardeners to perfect the symmetrical form expected of bird’s nest ferns. Moving the plant when they are sending new leaves can deform the symmetry of the whole plant.

Recently, there is an interest in developing this line of mutant ferns for cutfoliage and for tropical landscapes.

Some of the best looking Lasagne Aspleniums of the world are as follows:

*Asplenium nidus plicatum (Java). The plant has an undulate margin. The plication goes only mid way or affects only the side of the leaves with area near midrib relatively flat. Plants are yellowish green. New leaves grow laterally.

*Asplenium nidus plicatum (Jakarta). Plication deep towards the midrib giving it a very distinct lasagna look. Midrib has a tendency to contort giving it an untidy look. Some individuals have tendencies to split head when they reach a certain size (when head measures 2 inches across) giving the plant a messy look. The plant has been around for some time but never popular with the gardeners. Leaves are yellowish green even when grown under heavy shade and never grow more than 2 feet across.

*Asplenium nidus plicatum c.v. “Zipper”. Plants are emerald green with squarish top of midrib and sunken underneath. Plication is very regular but leaves are generally flat. Plant gives a very distinct texture to a landscape.

*Asplenium nidus plicatum c.v. “Cork screw”. Plants are similar to A. nidus plicatum c.v. Zipper except the lamina starts twisting midway giving it a corkscrew appearance.

*Asplenium musifolium plicatum c.v. “Cobra” (syn. c.v. “Lasagna Escargot”). Named “Cobra” because of the young unfolding frond grows upwards and while the tip is unfolding, it looks like a cobra ready to strike. Lamina tip should be rounded even if they are small. If leaftip is pointed, it is something else. The lasagna lobes are relatively bigger than the pleats of Asplenium nidus and the upper portion of the lamina twists nicely making it look like a snail sitting on top of the frond, thus the name “Lasagna Escargot”. 

“Cobra” or “Lasagna Escargot” being Asplenium musifolium has the capability to grow more than 2 meters across given good feeding and humidity. High nitrogen feeding will make the leaf collapse inwards.

Sporelings of “Lasagna Escargot” are starting to sport. “Mini-Cobras” has been observed in one collection, while another grower grows a population of slightly thinner but longer leaves. There is at least one case of crown splitting and another with tip splitting or forking.

*Asplenium colubrinum plicatum. Habit and size very similar to Asplenium nidus plicatum (Jakarta) except the leaves are glossy dark green. There are linear bulges on the leaf surface corresponding to the sori underneath the leaves. Underside of leaves slightly lighter. Plants do not grow more than 2 feet across. There are several variations depending on the degree of pleating. Plants are now being propagated by collectors and should hit the market in a year or two.

*Asplenium cymbifolium plicatum. Lower parts of leaves are dilated resulting in flaps forming a flower design at the center. There is always a lock of roots growing in the middle of the formed water vessel. Plant requires a very humid atmosphere. Habit and size similar to Asplenium nidus except the midrib is rounded on top and rounded below. Plant easily forms brown lower fronds. New leaves are formed in horizontal axis.

*Asplenium sp. “Leyte” plicatum. There are at least 2 plicata forms of this undescribed Philippine species. The species generally have silvery sheen on young leaves and have a tail at the end of the frond (mucronate leatip). The Thais gardeners named it Asplenium Philippines when they imported the plants during the late 70’s. Type one is light plication of whole leaf but results only in big waves on the margin. The plant grows to about 3 meters across. Type 2 looks very much like the “Lasagna Escargot” except it has silvery leaves and a mucronate tail to go. Type 2 in the market is generally dwarf form. The bigger form of type 2 fetches better price in the international market.

*Asplenium antiquum plicatum “Osaka”. This is the most commercially successful plicata-form Asplenium in the world since it hit the world market in the early eighties. Up to now the “Osaka” is still traded around the world. The plant is generally smaller than most Aspleniums. There is now a forking Osaka and a variegated Osaka (plicata at the same time variegata form).

*Asplenium australasicum plicatum “Victoriae”. This is one of the oldest horticultural forms of the species. 

There are other plicata-forms of other species. Asplenium phyllitidis plicatum is being grown in Fern Paradise in Chiangmai, Thailand. Another form of Asplenium nidus plicatum and Asplenium musifolium plicatum bifurcatum is currently being propagated in Chiapus, Indonesia. The Royal Project of Thailand has the Asplenium nidus plicatum “Emperor”, which is a Dragon Tail type. There is a big number of Asplenium mutations that are commercially interesting to the horticulturists but extremely horrifying to taxonomists. 

The good thing is, these beautiful mutations may be propagated true to type using spores. 

Spore planting trials of normal Asplenium species may also yield a few plicatas. By carefully observing the variation within each batch of Sporelings, it is easy to spot the plicata as they appear wavy even when they are small.

For more information on Fern Production through Spores, please contact the Fern Study Group of the Philippine Horticultural Society, Inc. at the MSBF Environmental Center at the corner of EDSA and Quezon Avenue.