Cheilanthes - Sinopteridaceae

Cheilanthes deltoidea Kunze ssp. deltoidea

 

 

 

 

Synonyms

Pellaea deltoidea (Kunze) Baker
Allosorus deltoideus (Kunze) Kuntze
Doryopteris deltoidea (Kunze) Diels
Doryopteris deltoidea (Kunze) Diels var. laxa Sim

Common name

Description

Rhizome shortly creeping to suberect; rhizome scales narrowly lanceolate in outline, apex gradually tapering to a point, margin entire, up to 4 mm long, chestnut coloured. Frond monomorphic, closely spaced, erect. Stipe 1.7-7.5 cm long, dark brown, glabrous. Lamina 2- to deeply 3-pinnatifid with the basal pinnae basiscopically developed, triangular in outline, 1.8-10 x 1.6-11 cm; ultimate segments broadly spathulate to ovate-oblong in outline, apex rounded, margins irregular, entire, glabrous on both surfaces; veins free, obscure; rhachis narrowly winged. Sori set along the distal margin of the ultimate lobes; indusium continuous, minutely erose.

Notes

Derivation

deltoidea: the outline of the lamina is triangular.

Habitat

Rock crevices, beneath boulders and among stones on rocky hillsides in sheltered situations; usually associated with granite, often near briefly seasonal streams.

Distribution worldwide

See African distribution.

Distribution in Africa

Namibia, South Africa.

Growth form

Terrestrial.

Literature

  • Burrows, J.E. (1990) Southern African Ferns and Fern Allies. Frandsen, Sandton. Page 143. As Cheilanthes deltoidea Kunze. (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 374 - 375. (Includes a picture).
  • Jacobsen, W.B.G. (1983) The Ferns and Fern Allies of Southern Africa. Butterworths, Durban and Pretoria. Page 280. As pellaea deltoidea (Kunze) Bak. (Includes a picture).
  • Klopper, R.R. & van Wyk, A.E. (2011) A new subspecies of Cheilanthes deltoidea from Gauteng and Limpopo, south Africa.Brothalia, 41(1) Pages 204 - 207.
  • Roux, J.P. (2009) Synopsis of the Lycopodiophyta and Pteridophyta of Africa, Madagascar and neighbouring islands. Strelitzia 23, South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria. Page 181. As Cheilanthes deltoidea Kunze.
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