Edible Plants of the World

Swamp fern, Water sprite, Water hornfern

Swamp fern, Water sprite, Water hornfern

A tropical plant. It grows in still or slow flowing fresh water in the tropics. It occurs in swamps up to 1300 m altitude in Papua New Guinea, but it is mostly below 500 m. It can float. It is found in all tropical countries. It is very frost tender. They occur throughout the Philippines near sea level on mud and are able to thrive in shallow water. It grows well in acidic soil (pH 5-6.5) and in shady places. It needs temperatures above 18°C. It grows in wetlands.

Also known as:

Floating stag's horn, Hihiawai, Oriental water fern, Pakis air, Pakis rawa, Pakis tespong, Paku chai, Paku roman, Paku tespong, Pani dhaniya, Pani dhekia, Pani shak, Sachi, Sayur kodok, Sumatra fern, Water fern

Synonyms

Edible Portion

Where does Swamp fern grow?

Found in: Africa, Angola, Asia, Australia, Bangladesh, Benin, Bolivia, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, Central America, Chad, China, Congo, Congo DR, Côte d'Ivoire, East Africa, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Guam, Guianas, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Hawaii, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Japan, Kenya, Korea, Laos, Liberia, Madagascar, Malaysia, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Nigeria, Northeastern India, Pacific, Papua New Guinea, PNG, Philippines, SE Asia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Southern Africa, South America, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Uganda, Vietnam, West Africa, West Indies, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Notes: There are 3-4 Ceratopteris species. They are also put in the family Ceratopteridaceae and Parkeriaceae. It grows throughout the lowland tropic in estuaries and swamps.

Status: It is a commercially cultivated vegetable.

Growing Swamp fern, Water sprite, Water hornfern

Cultivation: It is grown as an aquarium plant. Small pieces of plant will root in mud. Spores can also grow.

Edible Uses: The plant is edible. It can be used raw or cooked. The young fronds are eaten in stir-fries. The young uncurled fronds can be eaten raw.

Nutrition Info

per 100g edible portion

Edible Part Energy (kcal) Protein (g) Iron (mg) Vitamin A (ug) Vitamin c (mg) Zinc (mg) % Water
Leaves 252 dw 21.2 dw - - - - 92.6

Swamp fern, Water sprite, Water hornfern Photos

Swamp fern, Water sprite, Water hornfern Swamp fern, Water sprite, Water hornfern Swamp fern, Water sprite, Water hornfern Swamp fern, Water sprite, Water hornfern

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