Christella dentata

Location & distribution maps

Phylogeny & links to associated information

Wikipedia links:       Monilophytes > Polypodiales > Aspleniineae >  Aspleniaceae > Thelypteridaceae > Christella dentata

Other links:    

Species:    

Plant  information

Common name:         Binung  

• There are many local common names

• In NSW it is known as binung

Conservation status: . . .

Etymology:   

Spores:                            

• Sori are circular in shape, with a hairy closed covering

Leaves:         

Stem & branches: 

Roots:         

Habit:        

• A small fern

Habitat:   

• On the margins of rainforest, by streams or in more open forests with adequate moisture

Distribution:                  

• Widespread distribution in Australia and islands in the south Pacific Ocean

• Grows north from the southern Illawarra region 

Additional notes:     

• Naturalised

  • It was the first species of fern to become naturalised on the Hawaiian Islands, recorded initially in Oahu in 1887 and now found on all major islands there

  • There it interbreeds with the local species C. cyatheoides, with the resultant hybrid offspring sterile

• Uses

  • Christella dentata is an edible fern, and also a folk remedy for skin diseases

  • Pharmacological study found that water extract of the fern was as toxic as anticancer drug 5-fluorouracil against human chronic myelogenous leukemia cell line

Sources of information:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christella_dentata (2023)