Species

Blotiella - Dennstaedtiaceae

Blotiella glabra (Bory) R.M. Tryon

Photo: P. Ballings
Zimbabwe

Synonyms	Lonchitis glabra Bory Lonchitis stenochlamys Fée Pteris glabra (Bory) Mett. Lonchitis pubescens Willd. var. glabra (Bory) Baker Lonchitis gracilis Alston
Common name
Description	Rhizome widely creeping, up to 2.5 cm wide, ending in a suberect, somewhat enlarged aerial portion; rhizome hairs dense, shiny brown, up to 15(-40) mm long. Fronds tufted or closely spaced, (0.9-)2-3 m tall. Stipe up to 0.8 m, pale brown, said to be green with purple stripes when fresh, thinly pubescent with short, brown hairs. Lamina 0.5-1.3(-2) m × 0.3-0.8 m, ovate-lanceolate to elliptic in outline, 2- to 3-pinnatifid, thinly pubescent on both surfaces, secondary rhachis winged. Pinnae oblong-ovate to lanceolate-acuminate, 40-45 cm x 13 cm, uniformly incised from the apex towards the base; pinnules lanceolate-oblong in outline, 10 cm x 2.5 cm; pinnules variously incised or pinnatifid into 10-12 pairs of rounded lobes, 10.5 cm x 0.8 cm, seperated by broad sinuses, hairy on both surfaces; venation plane or impressed above, conspicuously prominent beneath; rhachis densely hairy. Sori ± crescent-shaped, situated at the base of the sinuses between the pinnules, c. 4 mm long and also 1-3 smaller ones on each margin above sinuses; indusium present.
Notes	Differs from B. natalensis by having a widely creeping rhizome and fronds that are up to 2m long. It also forms small colonies, allthough isolated plants are encountered. Tectaria gemmifera has laminal sori and buds or plantlets on the rhachis or costae.
Derivation	glabra: hairless; reference not clear.
Habitat	Near streams or in seepage zones in deep shaded evergreen forest, in giant heath zone, sometimes in bamboo.
Distribution worldwide	Widespread on tropical African mountains, also in the Madagascan region.
Distribution in Africa	Burundi , Cameroon , Dem. Republic of Congo , Equatorial Guinea (incl. Bioko), Ethiopia , Gabon , Kenya , Malawi , Mozambique , Rwanda , South Africa , Swaziland , Tanzania , Uganda , Zambia , Zimbabwe .
Growth form	Terrestrial.
Literature	Burrows, J.E. (1990) Southern African Ferns and Fern Allies. Frandsen, Sandton. Pages 102 - 103. (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 292 - 293. (Includes a picture). Jacobsen, W.B.G. (1983) The Ferns and Fern Allies of Southern Africa. Butterworths, Durban and Pretoria. Pages 204 - 205. (Includes a picture). Kornas, J. (1979) Distribution and ecology of the Pteridophytes in Zambia. Polska Akademia Nauk Wydzial II Nauk Biologicznych. Page 86. Roux, J.P. (2001) Conspectus of Southern African Pteridophyta.Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report, 13 Page 92. (Includes a picture). 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 108. Schelpe, E.A.C.L.E. (1970) Pteridophyta.Flora Zambesiaca, 0 Page 82. Tardieu-Blot, M.-L. (1964) Ptéridophytes vol.3.Flore du Cameroun, Pages 102 - 104. (Includes a picture). Thardieu-Blot, M.L. (1964) Ptéridophytes vol.8.Flore du Gabon, Page 78. As Lonchitis gracilis Alston (Includes a picture). Verdcourt, B. (1999) Dennstaedtiaceae.Flora of Tropical East Africa, Pages 13 - 15.