Stats

Lifespan

Perennial

Size

Large

Diet

Photosynthetic

Biome

Tropical rainforest

Range

East Asia

Movement

Sessile

Breeding

Spores

Defense

Toxins

Status

Rare

About

This fern grows in the damp, shaded crevices of rocky cliffs in Japan. It catches falling leaves in its central rosette to create its own compost pile.

Life cycle

1. 1.
   seed

   A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
2. 2.
   sprout

   A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
3. 3.
   sapling

   A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
4. 4.
   mature

   Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom

Plantae

Phylum

Tracheophyta

Class

Polypodiopsida

Order

Polypodiales

Family

Aspleniaceae

Genus

Asplenium

Species

Asplenium antiquum