Cibotium barometz is in the fern family Dicksoniaceae[1] and is one of a small number of tree fern species that Carl Linnaeus initially placed in the fern family Polypodiaceae in his Species Plantarum. The plant grows only to a height of 1 m (3 ft 3 in), when erect, but is often prostrate, forming colonies of plants on open forest slopes and in disturbed areas.
The species is a folk medicinal herb in common use. It was thought to be the mythical Vegetable Lamb of Tartary during the Middle Ages due to the resemblance of its woolly rhizomes to a lamb. Although it is widely distributed, the plant has been extensively collected in Southeast Asia, causing the decline in the population size and number of individuals.
Traditional Chinese medicine herbal extracts of Cibotium barometz, Gentiana scabra, Dioscorea batatas, Cassia tora, and Taxillus chinensis inhibit SARS-CoV replication.