Species

Vittaria - Adiantaceae

Vittaria guineensis Desv. var. orientalis Hieron.

Photo: P. Ballings
Zimbabwe

Synonyms	Vittaria loricea sensu Peter, non Fée Vittaria guineensis Hieron., non Desv. sensu stricto
Common name
Description	Rhizome fairly thick, shortly creeping; rhizome scales narrowly lanceolate, with or without a short hair-tip, dark brown, c. 3.5 mm long, margins ciliate. Fronds simple, spaced 3-10 mm apart, coriaceous, arching or pendulous; stipe castaneous to black, up to 3 cm long. Lamina up to 35 × 0.6 cm, narrowly elliptic to linear, apex tapering to a point, base tapering, midrib obvious below but not raised, veins obscure. Sori in two submarginal grooves up to 0.6 mm from the margin; indusium continuous, along both sides of the soral line.
Notes	Can be distinguished from other species by a combination of having a black stipe base, a midrib that is faintly visible but not raised below and rhizome scales that are less than 4 mm long and ciliate.
Derivation	guineensis: from Guinea (West Africa), orientalis: implying that the variety's distribution occurs futher east.
Habitat	Epiphyte or lithophyte, shade, moist evergreen forest.
Distribution worldwide
Distribution in Africa	Burundi , Cameroon , Congo , Dem. Republic of Congo , Ethiopia , Kenya , Liberia , Malawi , Mozambique , Rwanda , Tanzania , Togo , Uganda , Zambia , Zimbabwe .
Growth form	Epiphytic, lithophytic.
Literature	Burrows, J.E. (1990) Southern African Ferns and Fern Allies. Frandsen, Sandton. Pages 110 - 111. (Includes a picture). Fisher E. & Killmann D. (2008) Illustrated Field guide to the Plants of Nyungwe National Park Rwanda. University of Koblenz-Landau. Pages 58 - 59. (Includes a picture). Jacobsen, W.B.G. (1983) The Ferns and Fern Allies of Southern Africa. Butterworths, Durban and Pretoria. Page 215. (Includes a picture). Kornas, J. (1979) Distribution and ecology of the Pteridophytes in Zambia. Polska Akademia Nauk Wydzial II Nauk Biologicznych. Page 67. Roux, J.P. (2001) Conspectus of Southern African Pteridophyta.Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report, 13 Page 84. Roux, J.P. (2009) Synopsis of the Lycopodiophyta and Pteridophyta of Africa, Madagascar and neighbouring islands. Strelitzia 23, South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria. Pages 73 - 74. Schelpe, E.A.C.L.E. (1970) Pteridophyta.Flora Zambesiaca, 0 Page 96. Verdcourt, B. (1999) Vittariaceae.Flora of Tropical East Africa, Page 5.