Listed in the 1997 IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants as Rare
These fern trees grow all over the northern hills of Okinawa, Japan.
Those IUCN dudes should come over to the Ryukyu Islands sometime and, pay me a visit.
As soon as I find the recipe, I'm going to learn how to cook them.
That's because, according to local legend, people used to eat the young things.
The little golden sprouts, people claim, look like a spider-monkey's arms.
That's the part of the plant folks were eating, way before the microwave oven was invented.
Nowadays, everybody just hops in the car and drives to fast-food joints.
That couldn't have anything to do with getting FAT, could it ?
It would be best to chop those little monkey arms off while the tree is less than a meter tall.
You would have to climb way up to the top of the tree to grab some when they are full grown.
Normally, I don't carry a tape measure or, ruler with me when I'm out in the jungle.
Different sources say this tree grows 3-5 meters tall.
From my observations, I think they might get to be 10 meters or, taller.
The first two photos were taken on Mt. Yonaha, two days ago.
This photo shows the Flying Spider-monkey Ferns in 2009 at the Azalea Festival.
They are really pretty trees and, I probably wouldn't eat them.
But, I would, before I'd go chasing after a real monkey to eat !
Read more about these IUCN Threatened Plants at Trebrown
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