Page 47 - Растения Сахалинской области в легендах и мифах

Rockcap fern

(Polypodium fauriei Christ)

Winter-green fern up to 25 cm high, with a thin creeping rhizome, bearing single fronds,
which, when dried, twist spirally. Lanceolate plates up to 7 cm wide, imparipinnate, dark
green above, bright green below. Sori are small, merging when ripe, located below in
two rows between the midrib and the edge.
In Russia, it grows only in the Sakhalin region. Occurs in the extreme southwest of
Sakhalin Island (Nevelsky District), Kunashir and Shikotan Islands. In addition to the
Russian Federation, it was seen in Japan and on Jeju Island (Republic of Korea).

Once the king invited a poor family to visit. They put on their modest
clothes and went to the palace. The road went through the forest. The

child smeared his outfit with forest berries, it became bright and cheerful,
mom decorated herself with flowers, and dad tore off the beautiful leaves
and made an elegant collar out of them. In the palace, they looked no
worse than other guests, even the king was pleased. He especially liked
the outfit of the head of the family. The king called a poor man’s son to
him — to find out what was that so beautiful on his father’s neck. He
replied: «a plant, unworn», but the king did not hear out and remembered
it as «fern.»

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