Phoenix Tail Fern (Thick rhizome, long petiole, sporophylls are bipinnately divided, pinnae are long and linear, the top one is the longest, like a phoenix tail)
[Naming]
[Source]
Shi Yi (拾遺, Supplements to Compendium of Materia Medica)
[Common Usage Level]
D
[Botanical Origin]
The whole plant of Pteris multifida Poir., a fern in the family Pteridaceae.
[Characteristics]
Height 30~70㎝. Rhizome stout, densely covered with linear-lanceolate black-brown scales. Leaves clustered, petiole 5~23㎝ long, gray-brown or brown. Sporophylls are bipinnately divided, green on the top, light green on the bottom, midrib with broad wings, pinnae 3~7 pairs, long linear, entire, the top pinna is the longest, leaf veins are obvious. Sterile leaves are smaller, with serrated edges. Sori linear, borne on leaf margin. Taste is faint or slightly astringent.
[Identification]
The best quality is dry, free of impurities and soil.
[Category]
Whole Herb