Diplazium esculentum, the vegetable fern, is an edible fern found throughout Asia and Oceania. It is probably one of the most commonly consumed ferns.
Description
This plant is a large perennial fern with an ascending rhizome of about 50cm high and covered with short rufous scales of about 1mm long. The plant is bipinnate with long brownish petioles, and the petiole base is black and covered with short scales. The frond can reach 1.5m in length, and the pinnae is about 8cm long and 2cm wide. ==Uses==
Uses
The young fronds are stir-fried and used in salads. They may have mild amounts of fern toxins but no major toxic effects are recorded. It is known as pakô ("wing") in the Philippines, The fern species Diplazium esculentum is believed to have been introduced and naturalized in Hawaii and was first reported collected in 1910. ==Pharmacological effects==
Pharmacological effects
The extract also had alpha-glucosidase inhibitory activity. == Gallery ==
Gallery
File:Yam phak khut.jpg|Yam phak khut, a Thai salad of fern leaves and pork File:Ensaladang Pako with salted egg.jpg|Ensaladang pako (fern salad) with salted egg from the Philippines Image:DiplaziumEsculentumCoorg.jpg|Habitat ==See also==