mangemange

Lygodium articulatum | mangemange, bushman’s mattress, makamaka

 

An extraordinary climbing fern it begins from a small creeping rhizome at ground level, it sends up twisting fronds of seemingly endless length, which latch onto shrubs, trees, or fences for support. Over time these wiry fronds weave into dense, hanging curtains several metres high, their finely divided pinnae forming a delicate green geometry that seems impossibly fragile yet is remarkably strong. In the garden, mangemange is best given a shady, sheltered site with something to climb on — a tall shrub, trellis, or fence. Once settled, it will steadily scramble upwards, creating a living screen or draping canopy. It asks little more than occasional guiding of its fronds. Collectors have long admired this fern for its singular form, unlike any other native

coastal forest

lowland forest

lower montane forest

well drained

partial shade

full shade

height | 3m

width | 1m

The tangled fronds historically were used as makeshift mattresses for trampers caught out overnight in the bush — though they often discovered they were sharing their bed with tree wētā.