Fuchuan Wild Fern

Fuchuan Wild Fern

　　Fuchuan Wild Fern is a renowned specialty of Hezhou, Guangxi, primarily produced in Fuchuan Yao Autonomous County.

　　Growing Environment

　　Fuchuan Yao Autonomous County has a typical subtropical monsoon climate, characterized by mild weather and ample sunlight. The annual average temperature is 19°C, the extreme maximum temperature reaches 38.5°C, and the extreme minimum is -3°C. The annual accumulated temperature above 10°C is 6,072°C, and the region receives abundant rainfall with an annual precipitation of 1,700 mm and a relative humidity of 75%. The local climate is highly conducive to crop growth, providing ideal conditions for wild ferns.

　　Morphological Characteristics

　　Ferns are perennial herbaceous plants of the Pteridaceae family. Their underground rhizomes are dark brown, long and horizontally spreading, with diameters of 0.6–0.8 cm and lengths of over 10 cm, up to 30 cm. The leaves grow from the underground stems and feature fine feather-like veins. The leaf edges curl inward. When young, the leaf stalks are covered with fine fuzz, but become smooth as they mature and the fuzz disappears. In early summer, reproductive organs known as sori, which are reddish-brown in color, develop on the undersides of the leaves.

　　Ferns typically grow to a height of about one meter. Their rootstocks are long and horizontally creeping with dark brown fuzz. The newly emerged spring leaves are curled into a trefoil shape. The tender petioles are covered with white fuzz—this is the optimal time for harvesting. Petioles range from 30 to 100 cm in length, while the leaf blades are triangular, measuring 65–150 cm in length and 30–60 cm in width. They are 2–3 times pinnately divided. The lower pinnae are opposite each other, and the brown sporangia are continuously arranged along the leaf margins, protected by double indusia.