National Museum of Natural Science

The flying spider-monkey fern is a large tree fern native to Taiwan. The Chinese name comes from the fact that it can be used as a desk tidy when the upper part of its stem is pithed and dried. Taiwan is the center of its distribution in the world, with moist forests from the foothills at low elevations to 1,800 meters above sea level throughout the island, and it is one of the most representative species of Taiwan's ecosystem. Apart from Taiwan, it is distributed in the Ryukyu Islands, the Philippine Islands, New Guinea, and southern China. Taiwan is rich in flying spider-monkey fern resources, especially in the northern low-altitude areas, where dense tree fern forests often form in the sunny and humid environment, becoming an important part of the local forest ecology.

The tree fern has a tall, sturdy trunk wrapped with layers of aerial roots. These roots not only help the plant absorb water and nutrients but also strengthen the trunk, allowing it to grow steadily in moist environments. Because these aerial roots have good air permeability and water absorption, they were often scraped off as materials for orchid cultivation in the past, and were an important substrate for cultivation in Taiwan's horticultural industry. However, nowadays, due to the shortage of resources caused by the massive use of the aerial roots of the tree fern, many of them have been replaced by coconut fiber.

When aerial roots are removed from the trunk of the flying spider-monkey fern, you can see the traces of fallen leaves, and the patterns formed by these traces resemble the skin of a snake, which is why the flying spider-monkey fern is also called “snake wood”. The large leaves of the flying spider-monkey fern are split into many small pinnae, which are elegant and layered, and have a unique aesthetic appeal that can be used in gardening and landscape design.

Many tree ferns are planted in the outdoor dinosaur garden of the Life Science Hall, creating a distinctive landscape. In addition, there are more than 50 fern species in the special exhibition room of the Botanical Garden.