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Lygodium articulatum
Also called Mangemange
Mangemange (Lygodium articulatum) is a climbing fern native to the North Island forests of New Zealand, forming vine-like curtains in the canopy. Growing it well means giving it a rooted position with a tree or support to climb, and it is rarely grown as a pot plant.
Lygodium articulatum, commonly referred to as mangemange or Bushman's mattress, is a climbing fern endemic to the North Island forests of New Zealand. Mangemange is unique compared to other ferns in the area due to the vine-like curtain it creates in the canopy. The plant is a traditional Māori building material used to fasten structures and construct hīnaki (eel traps), and received its English language name due to early European settlers observing Māori forming makeshift beds in the bush from the plant.
Mangemange is unique compared to other ferns in the area due to the vine–like curtain it creates in the canopy. Although the majority of the plant is found in the canopy of the surrounding forest, the roots and stem of mangemange form on the ground, meaning it cannot be classified as an epiphyte.
Maidenhair Creeper · Lygodium heterodoxum · Japanese Climbing Fern · Small-leaf climbing fern · American climbing fern · Monarch Climbing Fern · Climbing fern
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Lygodium articulatum by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
