| Home | > | List of families | > | Aspleniaceae | > | Asplenium | > | lobatum |
| Synonyms: |
Asplenium erectum Bory ex Willd. var. gracile (Pappe & Rawson) Tardieu Asplenium erectum Bory ex Willd. var. lobatum (Pappe & Rawson) Sim Asplenium gracile Pappe & Rawson Asplenium lobatum Pappe & Rawson var. pseudoabyssinicum Schelpe & N.C. Anthony |
| Common names: | |
| Frequency: | |
| Status: | Native |
| Description: |
Rhizome erect, up to 7 mm diameter; scales up to 6 mm long, lanceolate, attenuate, pale brown. Fronds tufted, not proliferous or occasionally proliferous at the base of the lamina. Stipe up to 23 cm, stipe and rhachis matt brown, glabrous. Lamina 15-40 cm × 4-15 cm, 2-pinnate to 4-pinnatifid, narrowly lanceolate-elliptic in outline, lower pinnae variously reduced. Pinnae glabrous, incised into rhombic pinnules that are divided into 2- to 3-fid or linear acute lobes. Sori linear to oblong (oval when dehisced), not marginal, 2-6 per pinnule, indusium entire. |
| Notes: | Differs from similar species by having oval, not marginal sori and gradually decrescent basal pinnae. It can be distinguished from A. varians by having a more dissected lamina and more rounded lobe margins.
Burrows, J.E. (1990) and Crouch N.R. et al. (2011), distinguish 2 varieties: var. lobatum is 2-pinnate (to 3-pinnatifid), has 2-5 pairs of basal pinnae reduced and is not gemmiferous; var. pseudoabyssinicum is 3-pinnate to 4-pinnatifid, basal pinnae are not reduced and is often gemmiferous on the stipe. |
| Derivation of specific name: | lobatum: lobed; this fern has a separate acroscopic lobe on each pinnule |
| Habitat: | Deeply shaded forest floor in evergreen forest. Terrestrial or lithophyte. |
| Altitude range: (metres) | 920 - 1900 m |
| Flowering time: | |
| Worldwide distribution: | Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, also Madagascar |
| Zimbabwe distribution: | E,S |
| Growth form: | |
| Endemic status: | |
| Red data list status: | |
| Insects (whose larvae eat this species): | |
| Spot characters: | Display spot characters for this species |
| Content last updated: | Tuesday 25 October 2011 |
| Literature: |
Burrows, J.E. (1990). Southern African Ferns and Fern Allies. Frandsen, Sandton. Pages 240 - 242. (Includes a picture). Crouch, N.R., Klopper, R.R., Burrows, J.E. & Burrows, S.M. (2011). Ferns of Southern Africa, A comprehensive guide Struik Nature Pages 636 - 639. (Includes a picture). Jacobsen, W.B.G. (1983). The Ferns and Fern Allies of Southern Africa. Butterworths, Durban and Pretoria. Pages 349 - 350. (Includes a picture). Mapaura, A & Timberlake, J. (eds) (2004). A checklist of Zimbabwean vascular plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 33 Sabonet, Pretoria and Harare Page 5. Roux, J.P. (2001). Conspectus of Southern African Pteridophyta. Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report 13 Page 167. Roux, J.P. (2009). Synopsis of the Lycopodiophyta and Pteridophyta of Africa, Madagascar and neighbouring islands Page 89. Schelpe, E.A.C.L.E. (1970). Pteridophyta FZ Page 177. (Includes a picture). |
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