Nokishinobu - Nokishinobu

An evergreen fern of the Polypodiaceae family. Also known as lamprey, it is highly drought-tolerant. It produces dense, elongated, sharp-tipped leaves from a short, creeping rhizome. Two rows of circular sporangia are arranged on either side of the midvein. Old rhizomes have many round, shallow depressions, which are traces of fallen leaves. It is distributed throughout the country, growing on stone walls, thatched roofs, and tree trunks in urban areas, as well as on rocks in mountainous areas. It is widely distributed in China, Southeast Asia, and India. In Zhejiang Province, China, it is used as a folk remedy for vomiting blood due to coughing. The very similar Miyamanokisinobu (L. ussuriensis var. distans) grows on tree trunks and rocks in deep mountains, but it can be distinguished by the lack of scales and the presence of leaf stalks. The small-leaved plant, L. onoei, is similar to the large-leaved plant, but its leaf tips are not as pointed.

[Kurita Koro]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

ウラボシ科の常緑性シダ。ヤツメランともいい、耐乾性が強い。短くはう根茎から、細長く先端の鋭い単葉を密に生ずる。中脈を挟んで円形の胞子嚢(のう)群が二列に並ぶ。古い根茎には丸く浅い凹所が多数あるが、これは葉の落ちた跡である。全国に分布しており、市街地の石垣、かや葺(ぶ)き屋根、樹幹をはじめ、山地の岩上などに着生する。中国をはじめ東南アジア、インドなどに広く分布する。中国の浙江(せっこう)省では、咳(せき)による吐血の民間治療薬として使われる。深山の樹幹や岩上には、よく似たミヤマノキシノブL. ussuriensis var. distansがあるが、鱗片(りんぺん)が少ないことと葉柄があることで区別がつく。ヒメノキシノブL. onoeiもノキシノブに似るが、葉先があまりとがっていない。

［栗田子郎］

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