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