Ophioglossum pendulum

Description:

[syn. 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.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/