Fauna
Plant

Golden Chicken Fern

Cibotium barometz

Also known as Barometz, Woolly Fern, Scythian Lamb Fern, Golden Lamb Fern

Golden chicken ferns produce massive, doubly-pinnate fronds that sweep outward from a thick rhizome covered in soft, lustrous golden-yellow hairs. These dense hair tufts resemble the fleece of a small animal, giving rise to centuries of folklore about a legendary plant-animal hybrid. In tropical forest ravines across East and Southeast Asia, the fern anchors fragile slopes and creates humid microhabitats for understory wildlife.

FernTropicalMedicinal
Golden Chicken Fern reference1 / 7
(c) Jacy Chen, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by
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Least ConcernConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXLeast ConcernRed List categories, explained →
Key facts
Diet & preyAutotrophic (Photosynthetic)
Predators
  • Herbivorous Insects
  • Browsing Mammals
ThreatsOver-harvesting for traditional medicine, deforestation, habitat fragmentation
HabitatsSubtropical and tropical forests, moist ravines, shaded valleys
Life spanPerennial (decades)
Classification
  1. FamilyCibotiaceae
  2. SpeciesCibotium barometz
Range & activity
Range data is not available yet.
Safe observation
Interaction riskLow
  1. Low
  2. Moderate
  3. High
  4. Very high
Why interaction risk is low
Safe to observe at a normal distance.
What to notice
Recognized by large arching fronds arising from a creeping rhizome clad in dense, silky golden-brown hairs.
Support conservation
Photograph wild plants without touching or harvesting the rhizome or pulling away its protective hairs.
Responsible observation
  • Visual ID: Examine the base of the crown to spot the distinctive silky golden hairs coating the rhizome.
  • Ethical Viewing: Keep to established forest trails to avoid stepping on shallow roots or creeping rhizomes.
Related species
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