Dipteris conjugata
Dipteris conjugata is a species of fern in the family Dipteridaceae. It has a rhizome, and 2-3 tall stems with mid green or dark green fronds, which have several divisions to toothed lobes. It is grows in clearings, mountain ridges and in forest margins, from tropical and temperate Asia, northern Queensland in Australia and some islands in the Pacific Ocean. It has limited native medicinal uses.
Description
This species has a long-creeping rhizome about diameter, covered with black shiny hairs up to long, which are coarser on the older sections of the rhizomes. The stipes are up to long, and have hair-like scales at base but are at the further end. They appear at regular intervals along the rhizome and branch three or four times.The fronds are green on the upper surface and glaucous underneath. They are long and may be up to wide, and are divided to the base into two fan-shaped halves, each of which are further divided three or four times. The ultimate lobes taper to a narrow apex with the edges deeply or coarsely toothed. The main veins branch into two veins several times.
On the lower surface of the fronds are numerous small sori which are irregularly scattered and of irregular size and shape. They do not have indusia and have club-shaped paraphyses.
Taxonomy
This species was described by Caspar Georg Carl Reinwardt in the book Sylloge Plantarum Novarum in 1828. He did not mention the origin of the specimen that his description was based upon.Etymology
The species epithet conjugata refers to the leaf having one pair of leaflets.Common names
In Fiji it is known as koukoutangane, or 'aivuiniveli'. In Thailand it is called bua chaek and bua cek in Singapore, It is written as 双扇蕨 or 破傘蕨, in Chinese script, and known as shuang shan jue in Pinyin in China.Biochemistry
The leaves contain 2 ent-kauranoid hydroxy acids.Distribution and habitat
It is native to tropical and temperate Asia, Australia and some Pacific islands.Range
It can be found in temperate Asia, within the Ryukyu Islands of Japan. In tropical Asia, within Papua New Guinea, Cambodia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and Hainan, Taiwan, India, Indonesia, Malaysia and in the Philippines. Also within Queensland in Australia, and on the islands of New Caledonia, and Fiji.Within Thailand, it is found in the provinces of Surat Thani, Phangnga, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Trang and Yala. Within Singapore, it is found in the district of Kranji, Tanjung Gul and on the island of Pulau Tekong.
Habitat
D. conjugata grows on clay slopes, in clearings, ridges and on forest margins. In East Kalimantan, Indonesia, it grows along rivers together with Nypa Palms. In Borneo, it is found commonly growing with Histiopteris incisa J. Sm. and Lygodium circinnatum Sw., along forest margins and paths. In New Caledonia, it is found on sunny roadside banks. The fern is also common in forest margins in high rainfall areas.The species occurs mainly at altitudes of above sea level in China, in Malaysia, and in Singapore. In Singapore, it occurs on coastal cliffs, and at the risk of landslides. It is also
Conservation
This species has a varying status in different countries. In Singapore it is classed as critically endangered, in Queensland it has been assessed as near threatened, while in Cambodia, Thailand and Laos it is seen as having no threats, such that it was recommended to the IUCN that it be classed as least concern., it has not been assessed by the IUCN.Cultivation
It is sometimes planted as an ornamental plant in Singapore.It can grown in poor to well drained soils and is mostly disease and pest resistant.
Also specimens of the plant can be found in Cibodas Botanical Garden in West Java of Indonesia, and in the Fernarium of Univerisiti Kebangsaan in Malaysia
Uses
It has been used as a medicinal plant to treat various ailments, such as in southern Thailand, the roots have been collected for used in traditional medicine. In Fiji, it is used to treat male reproductive ailments.It also has another use, in the highlands of Mindanao in the Philippines, the large fronds are used as an umbrella.