Asplenium australasicum the Bird's Nest Fern. Iron Ranges, North Queensland, Australia.

[Derrick]

Asplenium australasicum, Iron Range National Park, Cape York Peninsula, North Queensland, Australia.

[Derrick]

Although commonly called the Australian Bird's nest Fern it has a much wider distribution occurring also in Papua New Guinea and the following islands of the south Pacific Ocean; French Polynesia (Society Islands & Tahiti), Fiji, New Caledonia, Samoa and Tonga.   In Australia it occurs on tiny Lord Howe Island, and along moister areas of the East Coast in New South Wales and Queensland.

Fiji Photo's 031, Asplenium australasicum (J.Sm.) William Jackson Hooker. On the Lavena Village walkway on the wet side of Taveuni Island, Fiji..JPG] 

  The Ocean is just a few steps away.

[Derrick]

This Asplenium australasicum is growing in a most unusually exposed position for this species; one that has little opportunity for impounding through-fall humus and furthermore it is on the dry side of Taveuni Island, Fiji, again a somewhat unusual situation. I suspect it is able to survive here because it is growing alongside a myrmecophytic orchid Grammatophyllum elegans a species with 'trash basket' root systems.

Fiji Photo's 013, Asplenium australasicum with Grammatophyllum elegans, Taveuni Island, Fiji..JPG]

[DischidiaGuy]

Asplenium australasicum, Iron Range National Park, Cape York Peninsula, North Queensland, Australia.

IMG_0109 Asplenium australasicum, Iron Range National Park, Cape York Peninsula, North Queensland, Australia..JPG

 

 

I absolutely love the Dischidia ovata hanging pendulously from the root mass of the Asplenium.  There are a number of other plant species that have actual dependencies on Asplenium.  I believe there's an Ophioglossum that only grows from the root mass of a certain Asplenium.

 

Thanks for sharing.

[Derrick]

Although the Lavena Village Walkway is promoted as a tourist attraction (there was a F$15 fee) it is also the ONLY access to a number of small communities that exist in a very narrow band of land between very steep mountains and the Ocean in this part of the tiny island.  Obviously the terrain has made extending the road beyond Lavena too difficult, hence too expensive.  These communities therefore must walk to get to Lavena and they are obviously living a very simple, almost hunter gatherer lifestyle (fish & pigs) supported by agriculture (coconuts everywhere) and without electricity.  The walkway crosses a number of shallow streams that however, are probably very very different in the frequent periods of tropical rains rushing off the mountains.  As I walked back to Lavena in the afternoon I started meeting groups of school children walking home to their villages.  In the typical Fijian way they were very friendly, asking me where I was from etc but what really amazed me was how immaculately dressed these kids were.  I was so impressed with these children, that I visited Lavena school to congratulate their staff on the great job they were doing (and how their students were an exemplary example of such work) and to add backing to my words, I left them with a sizable donation.  

  On the big Island of Viti Levu I picked up a total of 16 hitchhiking locals in groups of one to three especially on Sundays when many go to church.  I never felt threatened, even when far away in the remote highlands.  One would be enormously more cautious in Papua New Guinea.

  In Suva as in most cities world wide, one must be more cautious and take the usual precautions to protect one's valuables.