The Narrative of the Pedicularis densiflora (Indian Warrior) and the Platycerium superbum (Staghorn Fern)
Pedicularis Densiflora, also commonly known as Indian Warrior, is a parasitic plant sourced from the CCH2 website and was collected by Charles L. Hogue on March 6, 1954. Hogue was an American entomologist, teacher at UCLA, founder of a new discipline called “Cultural entomology,” and contributed to a greater overall understanding of this species of parasitic plants. Indian Warrior was found on a steep, loamy slope growing in the shade of and at the base of some shrubs in the chaparral environment of the Santa Monica Mountains, near a small canyon off a stream near Tapia Park. It was treated with a 5% weak solution in mineral petroleum ether of the chemical pentachlorophenyl laurate (LPCP) to preserve the plant in the UCLA Herbarium. Lauryl Pentachlorophenate is designed to be sprayed on herbarium specimens so as to not discolor the material, nor affect the print and the ink or pencil.
Indian Warrior is a small and short plant reliant on being near the ground to get water and nutrients, spreading wide under the base of other trees and plants. It is a parasitic plant, meaning it lives in or on other plants but in turn, harms the host by decreasing its overall fitness and stealing its essential energy, water, and nutrients. While it is a parasite known to cause harm to other organisms, it is found to have some beneficial medicinal purposes. The most notable of these medicinal uses is as a sedative to relieve nerve and muscle pain. It is known as being a potent skeletal muscle relaxant that can be used to treat cases of anxiety, tension, and insomnia. The bright magenta flowery portions or buds may be smoked to receive its psychoactive and mildly sedative effects.
Although there was no Materia Medica record for the Indian Warrior found within the Wellcome Collection online database, we discovered a historical depiction of a parasitic plant believed to also be a member of the genus Pedicularis. Through further research, we found that the image was an etching originally done by an Italian artist and naturalist named Magdelena Bouchard circa 1775. It is unclear what species of plant Bouchard’s etching depicts; however, in a Latin description below the image, she predicts the plant’s genus as well as provides information regarding its appearance and phenology. Bouchard describes the plant’s physical appearance with the words “purpurea” and “minima,” translating to purple and small. These are characteristics the specimen shares with the Indian Warrior in addition to both having fern-like leaves. Additionally, she uses the words “annua” and “verna,” translating to annually and spring, likely indicating that the plant blooms annually in the spring season.
The staghorn fern specimen was observed in the Mildred E. Mathias Botanical Gardens at UCLA on Friday, February 4th, 2022 at about 12:30pm. The weather was sunny with less than 25% cloud coverage and a temperature of about 70℉. Immediately we noticed its striking size and large antler like fronds, from which the plant gets its common name “staghorn.” The plant’s hanging fronds were nearly 2 meters long, the nest like fronds at the base of the plant were about a meter wide, and the plant protruded from the tree it grew on at least 2 feet. The fronds were a vibrant green with some browning and felt smooth and moist; however, they had no particular smell.
Although the staghorn fern is not a parasitic plant, nor in the genus Pedicularis, it is a plant which grows on other plants, otherwise known as an epiphyte. Similar to parasitic plants, epiphytes rely on other plants to grow. However, they grow on other plants for physical support and greater access to essential resources, such as moisture and sunlight, rather than leaching nutrients from a host. While the fronds of the staghorn fern provide it tremendous surface area to absorb plenty of sunlight, with out a stem or a trunk, this plant would not survive on the floor of the dense tropical forests which it calls home. Its epiphytic qualities, however, allow it to grow above the forest floor, where it has access to all the necessary resources. The specimen observed at the Botanical Garden, for example, is growing on the trunk of Ficus watkinsiana, better known as the Watkin’s Fig. Planting the staghorn fern specimen on this particular tree was likely done intentionally by the curators of the garden, as both plants are native to New South Wales and Queensland, Australia and therefore may be observed like this in a natural setting. Through further research, it is unclear whether the superbum species of staghorn fern has historically or culturally relevant medicinal uses; however, other staghorn species are known to have been used for treating ulcers, irregular menstrual cycles, fever, bile problems, coughs, and hypertension, as well as preventing miscarriages.
One of the major points of comparisons between Pedicularis Densiflora and Platycerium superbum is the intrinsic nature of the plants: parasite vs. epiphyte, respectively. While epiphytes like the Staghorn Fern differ from parasites like Indian Warrior in that epiphytes are plants that grow on other plants for physical support without obtaining benefits or causing harm to the host plant, both species do rely on other plants. Both the Staghorn Fern and Indian Warrior were found to be growing on or near other plants in nature, whether in the UCLA Botanical Gardens or Santa Monica Mountains. Epiphytes are found living on the surface of a plant, such as the Watkin’s Fig, while parasites are generally found to be living in or on the host, as seen in the case with Indian Warrior.
Pedicularis Densiflora and Platycerium superbum do not come from the same species or genus and can each be attributed their own unique medicinal properties. However, some overlap of medicinal uses have been observed. Both plants may relieve cases of hypertension or anxiety, perhaps suggesting that because the parasite and epiphyte share similar properties in their living on or near another plant, they may contribute similar medicinal uses for cases of stress and tension. Further research needs to be done to explore if this correlation truly exists.