Hard Fern

Description

Pellaea calomelanos is a species of fern. It is found in eastern and southern Africa (Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe) where it is associated with Afromontane vegetation, as well as on Madagascar, The Comoros, and the Mascarene Islands. Disjunct populations are found in northern India, Spain (La Cellera de Ter, Catalonia), and the Azores. The Kwena and Kgatla peoples use milk decoctions of the rhizome to calm frightened children at night.