Hen and Chicken fern (Mother Spleenwort, Pikopiko, Mouku) at Elsthorpe Bush in Hawke's Bay. Common in lowland forests. Hen and chicken ferns grow small bulbils (chickens) on top of their fronds. Once grown to about 5 cm, these offsprings fall off and, provided the soil they land in is kept moist, develop a root system and grow into new ferns. This additional means of reproduction is easier to use for propagation than spores. Hen and Chicken fern is a common species in bush areas of the ground-layer, especially in high rainfall areas. Image by Bradley White
