Ophioglossum pendulum

Description:

[Ophioderma pendulum subsp. falcatum]Puapua moa or Adder's tongueOphioglossaceaeIndigenous to the Hawaiian Islands (all main islands)Oahu (Cultivated)Hawaiian name: Puapua "tail feathers" and moa, "chicken," lit. "chicken tail feathers."Early Hawaiians prepared a cough remedy from this fern. Its spores were given to infants after birth to purge them of meconium.Closeupwww.flickr.com/photos/dweickhoff/13853636073/in/photolist...EtymologyThe generic name Ophioglossum is from the Greek ophis, snake, and glossa, tongue, in reference to the fertile spike resembling a snake's tongue.The Latin specific epithet pendulum, hanging, in reference to this species' drooping blade.nativeplants.hawaii.edu/