The fernery is developed over four acres and houses various ‘threatened’ and rare species of ferns
The country’s largest open air furnace was inaugurated by Nilambar Kunetha, a well-known expert on ferns, at Ranikhet in Almora district of Uttarakhand on Sunday. An official gave this information.
The furnace has been developed over a period of three years by the research wing of Uttarakhand Forest Department under the Centre’s Compensatory Afforestation Scheme CAMPA.
Chief Conservator of Forests (Research) Sanjeev Chaturvedi said that only the Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanical Garden and Research Institute (TBGRI), Thiruvananthapuram has a collection of 120 different types of ferns, with a large number of fern species.
However, it is the largest open air furnace in the country with completely natural surroundings, he said.
It has been developed on four acres in which Ranikhet provides an ideal location for open air furniture.
The fern is developed in a shaded area at an altitude of 1,800 m, with a seasonal mountain stream passing through it, providing sufficient moisture as the fern requires shade and moisture to grow and spread.
It has a mix of species from the Western and Eastern Himalayan regions as well as the Western Ghats. It has many rare species, chief among which is the tree fern (Scythia spinulosa) which has been declared as “threatened” by the State Biodiversity Board of Uttarakhand.
Only a few plants of this species have survived in the wild and it is considered one of the oldest species of ferns. It is said that herbivorous dinosaurs used to feed on their trunk which is rich in starch.
There are about 30 species in the Ferneri which have tremendous medicinal value. Species include Hansraj (Adiantum venustum) which has been valued as a cure for many ailments in Ayurveda as well as in Tibetan medicine.
The fern also exhibits some major edible species of ferns such as lingura (Diplazium esculentum), a popular food item in the hills of Uttarakhand which is considered highly nutritious.
In addition, the fern also displays several epiphytes, aquatic ferns and popular and interesting ferns such as Vishkanya, Mayurshikha, Boston fern, lady fern, rock fern, basket fern, ladder fern, golden fern and horsetail fern.
In addition to boasting about the different species of ferns, it also displays interesting facts about ferns such as the reference to the invisible seeds of ferns in Shakespeare’s play Henry IV and the Victorian era fern craze known as ‘paredomania’. Is known.
.