By M. Raghuram The tree fern as seen in its natural habitat of Kudremukh range in the Western Ghats. MANGALORE JULY 7. Along with the pleasure of seeing an abundance of water everywhere, the monsoon opens a wonderland of foliage in Dakshina Kannada. It could be a common sight everywhere, but in Dakshina Kannada, which shares the better part of the Western Ghats, foliage adds to the monsoon splendour and gives bio-technologists in the city something to mull over. The thick foliage during the monsoons brings to life a number of types of ferns that grow on sidewalks, compound walls, and trees, and by river banks. They even float on water, giving a lush green appearance to the place. Ferns have been the subjects of great myths and objects of great adulation. They have also been the source of mysticism and an inspiration for poets and painters. References to ferns are available in Shakespeare's King Henry IV. Likewise, our own Panje Mangesh Rao and Rashtrakavi Govinda Pai have, in their poems, made a mention of ferns that grow on earthen walls in rural areas, providing inspiration to artisans. Watch closely those advertisements of toiletries on the telly, and there are many scenes with ferns in the background. But the bio-technologists working in the region have their own ways of looking at ferns. It is not the poetic influence of ferns nor its commercial interest that attracts them, but their botanical qualities. Pioneering the study on "Trends in biotechnology of ferns", Smitha Hegde and Rev. Fr. L. D'Souza at the Dr. Kuppers bio-tech unit say ferns are plants with an enormous potential for commercial exploitation. They form a significant part of the international trade as cut greens or pot plants because of their exquisite and attractive foliage. They have multiple uses as ornamentals, food, medicinal plants, and experimental organisms. The application of biotechnology has not only helped in commercialising ferns but also changed the approach to the study of ferns. Dr. Hegde says ferns are popular foliage plants. They are known for their typical, intricate leaf patterns, which have made them subjects of art, poetry, and worship. The lack of flowers and the concept of the "invisible seed" are responsible for their association with folklore, myth, magic, mysticism, and indigenous medicine. Ninety per cent of ferns are believed to inhabit tropical forests. However, they are worldwide in distribution, and occupy a variety of habitats. They grow well in soil with moderate moisture, temperature, high humidity, and medium light levels. Dr. Hegde, who is conducting a research on "tree ferns", which is one of the pioneering works, says the Western Ghats has countless varieties of ferns. But tree ferns are special as they have had a distinct evolutionary process. Its gene data dates back to the Jurassic period. She says her research indicates that due to an intense pressure on its survival, the tree fern evolved into a tree, making the genetic modifications suited to the conditions that prevailed during the Jurassic period. Due to this modification, the fern has assumed an exotic aura and become a foliage decorator's dream come true. The Western Ghats has also played host to three other ferns cyathea gigantea, cyathea crinatum, and cyathea niligreusis which are endemic. During her research, she found out that cyathea crinatum has vanished from the Western Ghats, and perhaps it has become endangered. During her tours in the Kudremukh range, she found a dangerous type of ferns that causes diseases to livestock and human beings. The bracken variety of ferns (genus Pteridium) is now growing in the Western Ghats. Significantly, she found that the Oak Leaf Fern (Drynaria quercifolia), which grows wildly in the district, has medicinal properties that can be used to treat tuberculosis. She has conveyed the finding to the Director of Bio-technology in the Union Government, Y.P. Singh, who has promptly replied to her, thanking her for the information. In his book in 1933, Plants and Human Economics (Cambridge University Press), R. Good, pointed out that ferns were instrumental in creating coal deposits during the Jurassic period. In 1978, another author, May L.W., in his book, Economic Uses and Associated Folklore of Ferns and Fern Allies. A Botanical Review (Vol. 44 PP 491-538), confirmed the role played by the ferns and their allies in creating fossil fuels. Dr. D'Souza points out that ferns could act as indicators of so many things in nature, including metals, decreasing fertility of soil, and changing bio-diversity patterns. He says ferns are attitude- and humidity-specific, and both these parameters are indicators of change in the nature of the soil, biomass, and even diversity. The "greens", who were cherishing the "biodiversity hotspot" status of the Western Ghats, are concerned that the region is losing more than a few endemic species every year, and that new species alien to the bio-diversity profile of the Western Ghats are making it their home. я