About Christella dentata (Forssk.) Brownsey & Jermy
Christella dentata is a small fern with a widespread distribution across Australia and islands in the south Pacific Ocean, and it has many local common names. In the Australian state of New South Wales, this species grows in areas north from the southern Illawarra region, where it is known by the common name binung. It grows on rainforest margins, alongside streams, or in more open forests that have adequate moisture. The sori of Christella dentata are circular in shape, and have a hairy closed covering. This species was the first fern to become naturalized on the Hawaiian Islands; it was first recorded on Oahu in 1887, and is now found on all of Hawaii's major islands. On the Hawaiian Islands, Christella dentata interbreeds with the local species Christella cyatheoides, and the resulting hybrid offspring are sterile. Christella dentata is an edible fern, and it is also used as a folk remedy for skin diseases. Pharmacological study has found that the water extract of this fern was just as toxic to the human chronic myelogenous leukemia cell line (K562) as the anticancer drug 5-fluorouracil.
