Species

Hymenophyllum sibthorpioides (Bory ex Willd.) Mett. ex Kuhn

Photo: JE. Burrows
Malawi

Synonyms	Trichomanes parvulum Poir. Trichomanes sibthorpioides Bory ex Willd. Microtrichomanes parvulum (Poir.) Copel. Trichomanes thouarsianum C. Presl
Common name
Description	Rhizome wiry, creeping, hairless or with a few brown hairs to 0.6 mm. Fronds spaced apart (up to 2.5 cm). Stipe up to 3 cm long, wiry, not winged, hairless or with a few brown hairs to 0.6 mm. Lamina dark green, fanshaped to almost circular in outline, up to 1.5 cm in radius, flabellate, palmately divided into up to 30 linear lobes. Lobes linear in outline, up to 4 × 1.5 mm, margins entire, apices rounded, venation repeatedly dichotomously branched, hairless or with a few brown hairs to 0.6 mm on lower veins. Sori at the apices of the lobes, obconic to subcircular, 1-2 mm long, 1-1.5 mm in diameter, indusial valves erose-dentate, ovate; lower part of sorus winged by lamina.
Notes	Hard to find and easy to overlook but easily distinguished from other species by its small size and its fan-shaped frond.
Derivation	sibthorpioides: sibthorpia is a genus of European herbs within the Scrophulariaceae which has leaves of similar appearance to the fronds of this fern.
Habitat	Deeply shaded evergreen mist forest, moist forest.
Distribution worldwide	Africa, Comoro and Mascarene islands, Madagascar.
Distribution in Africa	Kenya , Malawi , Mozambique , Tanzania , Zimbabwe .
Growth form	Epiphytic, lithophytic.
Literature	Beentje, H.J. (2008) Hymenophyllaceae.Flora of Tropical East Africa, Page 11. (Includes a picture). Burrows, J.E. (1990) Southern African Ferns and Fern Allies. Frandsen, Sandton. Pages 94 - 96. (Includes a picture). Burrows, J.E. (1990) Southern African Ferns and Fern Allies. Frandsen, Sandton. Page 98. (Includes a picture). Jacobsen, W.B.G. (1983) The Ferns and Fern Allies of Southern Africa. Butterworths, Durban and Pretoria. Pages 191 - 192. (Includes a picture). Roux, J.P. (2001) Conspectus of Southern African Pteridophyta.Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report, 13 Page 43. 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 46. Schelpe, E.A.C.L.E. (1970) Pteridophyta.Flora Zambesiaca, 0 Page 79. (Includes a picture).