Scientific name: Drynaria quercifolia (L.) J.Sm.
Family: Polypodiaceae
Synonym: Polypodium quercifolia L.
Bengali/Vernacular name: Pankhiraj, Chotto pankhiraj.
Tribal name: Fo-lo-rere, Silojeya, Maosong, Jhagi (Marma); Chil doyee, Chiloba, Faiko woa, Ghuddi (Chakma); Jhagi bang (Rakhaing); Nao-oi (Tripura); Chilovasa (Tanchangya).
English name: Holly fern, Bird-nest fern.
Description of the plant: An epiphytic, dimorphic fern. Rhizome creeping densely clothed with red-brown scales. Leaves are of two kinds: cup-leaves and the fertile fronds. Cup-leaves are humus gathering fronds, brown and shiny when mature, ovate, coriaceous, somewhat imbricate, 15 to 30 centimeters long, 5 to 20 centimeters wide, concave, shallowly lobed below and deeply so above. Fertile fronds are 60-90 cm long, pinnately lobed, stipes 20 to 30 centimeters long. Sori in a regular row on each side of main vein, at a junction of 3-4 or more veins, round in shape oblong at maturity.
Plant parts used: Rhizome.
Medicinal uses: Paste prepared from the rhizome, plaster is made on the fractured bone with that paste and it is kept for two days to treat bone fracture.
Juice extracted from the rhizome is taken thrice a day (50 ml amount each time) for 15 days to treat jaundice.
An extract is made with the rhizome by boiling in water; hot bath is advised to have with that extract once a day for one week to treat oedema.
A peeled rhizome of the plant is eaten raw with sugar thrice a day for three days to treat spermatorrhoea.
Cottonseed-sized pills are made with the dried rhizomes of the plant is taken twice a day (one pill each time) for three days to treat stomach disorder.
A piece of peeled rhizome of the plant is eaten raw with sugar thrice a day to treat strangury.
Cottonseed-sized pills are made from the rhizome-paste of the plant is gvien twice a day (one pill each time) for seven days to treat epilepsy.
Distribution: All over the country on old tree trunk and shady old walls.
Is this plant misidentified? If yes, please tell us….
