Plant Indices
- Alphabetical Index (Genera)
- Alphabetical Index (Vernacular)
- Cladistic Index
ROYAL FERN (Osmunda)
Order: Osmundales
Family: Osmundaceae
Species: Osmunda regalis
|
|
Royal fern beside the river in Mimizan, France. 15 April 2024. Own work -- E Wusk |
Asia, East
- Japanese: Keshō Shida, Zenmai
Europe, Central
- German: Königsfarn
- Slovak: Zemrovka Kráľovská
Europe, Northern
- Danish: Kongebregne
- Finnish: Kuningasosteri
- Swedish: Kungsbräken
Europe, Southern
- Galician: Herba Da Sogra
- Portuguese: Reseda Gigante, Samambaia Real, Trinta-Pés
- Spanish: Helecho Real
Europe, Western
- Dutch: Koningsvaren
- English: Royal Fern, Blooming Fern, Bog Onion, Buckhorn Brake, Flowering Fern, Perun's Fern, Regal Fern, Royal Flowering Fern, Royal Osmund, St. Christopher's Herb, Tree Fern, Water Fern, Waterside Fern
- French: Fougère Royale, Osmonde Royale
- Irish: Leachain Mhéith
- Welsh: Daga
- Africa, Northern: Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia
- Africa, Western: Cape Verde
- Asia, Northern: Russia (North Caucasus)
- Asia, West: Iran, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, Turkey
- Europe, Central: Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Switzerland
- Europe, Eastern: Bulgaria, Ukraine
- Europe, Northern: Denmark, Norway, Sweden
- Europe, Southern: Albania, Croatia, Greece (including Crete), Italy (including Sardinia, Sicily), North Macedonia, Portugal (including Azores), Serbia, Slovenia, Spain
- Europe, Western: Belgium, England, France (including Corsica), Ireland, Netherlands, Scotland
Biome: Bogs and the banks of streams.
This family of ferns is known as the "flowering ferns" because of the appearance of the ripe sporangia in four of its genera, including our genus of interest, Osmunda.
Ferns in this family tend to be much larger than others.
Named for Osmunder, the Saxon name for Thor. While this etymology is not entirely certain, it's unlikely that its association with the Slavic thunder god, Perun, is a coincidence. This fern has a strong association with thunder and lightning.
Modern flower language holds that the royal fern means "reverie" or "fascination," likely in reference to this fern's spiraling fiddleheads. It also means "dreams," possibly in reference to the fiddleheads or to the legendary wealth of the fern seed legend.
The sporangia, called "Perun's flowers" in Slavic mythology, were credited with the power to defeat demons, fulfill wishes, unlock secrets, and reveal to one the language of trees. This is very much the same story of the flowering fern.
In this tradition, one must draw a circle around the plant and withstand the harassment of spirits. The source relayed this, uncited. The takeaway here is that there are a lot of different beliefs about this fern-flower thing, and you can play fast and loose with it.
The young fiddleheads are edible when boiled and supposedly taste like asparagus.
- The "royal" quality of the fern suggests it rules over the other ferns. A magically consequential interpretation would be that the royal fern countermands or suborn spells using other ferns as reagents, foci, or other tools/materials.
- The sporangia is referred to as a "flower" while distinct from the legendary fern flower. Perhaps the legendary flower can be accessed in a diminished form via the royal fern's sporangia.
- The secrecy quality is embedded in the spiral of the fiddlehead and the unfurling as the revelation of secrets. An unfurled fern may be a signifier of magical initiation.
- Prominent thunder/lightning god associations. This is wide open to exploitation.
- Look into St. Christopher.
- As the "tree" fern, it has access to the liminal properties of trees. Consider this as a source of wand wood or as some sort of supplementary material.
- Elemental Associations: [Thunder/Lightning], [Water]
- Spirit Associations: [Gods], [Saints]
* * * * * * *
Prestigious Plants
- Plants
- Flowers
- Trees
- Ferns
- Moss and Lichen [Pending]
- Fungi [Pending]
- Cladistic Index
- Herbal Medicine [Pending]
- Resin, Incense, Balsam, and Lacquer [Pending]
Other Ferns
-Greenaway, Kate. Language of Flowers. George Routleage and Sons.
(https://powo.science.kew.org/)
(https://www.secretflowerlanguage.com/) - Defunct
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osmunda)
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osmundaceae)
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osmunda_regalis)
Name assistance provided by Claude 3.5 Sonnet.
No comments:
Post a Comment