Horseshoe fern, alias Fujian Guanyin lotus, cow hoof, horseshoe tree, ground lotus, etc. It is a large terrestrial fern, usually between 1 2 meters in height, with a fleshy hypertrophied erect rosette.
The leaves of this plant are clustered, the petioles are thick and fleshy, and the base expands into a mussel shell and overlaps each other to form a horseshoe shape, like a rosette, which is why it gets its name "horseshoe fern". The leaves are broadly ovate, about 60 cm long and wide, the pinnate leaves are alternate, the leaf margins are all regular shallow triangular serrations, the leaves are grassy, and the sides are smooth.
The horseshoe fern prefers sunlight and warm, humid environments and is not cold tolerant. It is mainly distributed in Fujian, Hubei, Guizhou, Guangdong, Guangxi and other places, and often grows in underforests, riverbanks and ravines.
The rhizome with petiole of horseshoe fern can be used medicinally, and has the effect of removing stasis, stopping bleeding, and detoxifying. Its tubers can also extract starch, young leaves and shoots can be edible, and it was once a kind of food in mountainous areas**. In addition, the horseshoe fern is tall and elegant, and can be enjoyed as a potted plant or garden landscape.
It is worth noting that the horseshoe fern is a national second-class protected plant. This is because it has certain medicinal and ornamental value, but it is also because of this that it faces the threat of being over-collected and the ecological environment destroyed. Therefore, while appreciating and using the horseshoe fern, we also need to protect and restore its ecological environment as much as possible.