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Polypodium vulgare
Also called Polypody, Adder's Fern, Golden Maidenhair, Wall Fern, Common Polyploidy
Common polypody is an evergreen fern that grows epiphytically on trees and rocks, or in soil on banks and walls, with fronds rising from a horizontal rhizome. It is widespread across temperate Europe and is most at home in cool, humid, shaded conditions.
Polypodium vulgare, the common polypody, is an evergreen fern of the family Polypodiaceae. The name is derived from Greek poly- ("many") and pous, podos ("foot"). Polypody has traditional uses in cooking for its aroma and sweet taste, and in herbal medicine as a purgative and vermifuge. This species is expansive and highly adapted to many environments.
The common polypody occurs throughout western Europe and North Africa. In Britain and Ireland, it is widespread in all areas except the drier parts of eastern England, and is most abundant in the high humidity of the uplands in the west and north; it occurs from sea level up to 760 m altitude. It is very common in France, where it is found up to an altitude of 2,000 metres (6,600 ft). It is also quite common in Scandinavia and Carpathian Mountains. It is an introduced species in New Zealand that has begun to spread into the wild as an invasive species.
In cooking, the rhizome has a bittersweet taste. It has traditionally been used in some confectionery, such as nougat, for its aromatic properties. In 1971, a saponin, osladin was found in the roots and believed to be the compound responsible for the sweet taste as it elicits a relative sweetness 500 times sweeter than sugar (by weight).
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Polypodium vulgare 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.
