Tectaria - Tectariaceae

Tectaria gemmifera (Fée) Alston

Photo: P. Ballings
Zimbabwe

Photo: P. Ballings
Zimbabwe

Photo: P. Ballings
Zimbabwe

Photo: P. Ballings
Zimbabwe

Photo: P. Ballings
Zimbabwe

 

 

 

 

Synonyms

Aspidium coadunatum Kaulf. var. gemmiferum (Fée) Mett. ex Kuhn
Sagenia gemmifera Fée
Aspidium gemmiferum (Fée) Ching
Nephrodium cicutarium sensu Sim
Aspidium cicutarium sensu Sim

Common name

Description

Rhizome erect, up to 13 cm high and 2 cm in diameter; rhizome scales lanceolate in outline, margins entire, apex tapering to a point, up to 9 mm long, dark brown with paler margins. Fronds monomorphic, tufted, arching, up to 1.8 m long, thinly herbaceous to coriaceous, with proliferating buds on rhachis, costae and costules on the upper surface. Stipe 30-75 cm long, straw-coloured to brown, shiny, thinly set with minute white hairs and with scales similar to those on the rhizome at the base. Lamina 2-pinnatifid to 3-pinnate with long pinnatifid terminal segment, basal pinnae longest and strongly developed basiscopically, ovate-triangular in outline, 30-100 × 23-80 cm; pinnae in 4-6 pairs, sparsely set with minute white hairs on both surfaces, denser on costae and costules and veins below; pinnules to 18 cm long; ultimate segments oblong-lanceolate in outline, falcate, margins crenate or incised into rounded lobes; veins and veinlets anastomosing; free included veinlets in areoles not frequent, absent along the rhachis and rare in the triangular areoles between rachis and costa. Sori up to 2(-3) mm in diameter, round, in regular rows on both sides of the costules; indusia kidney-shaped, c. 1 mm in diameter, brown, membranous.

Notes

Can be confused with Blotiella sp. which has marginal sori and does not have buds or plantlets on the rhachis or costae.

Derivation

gemmifera: bearing gemma; the fronds of this species are often bearing buds or plantlets.

Habitat

Deeply shaded forest floors in evergreen forest, gallery forest.

Distribution worldwide

Africa, Comoro Isl., Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles, ?southeast Asia.

Distribution in Africa

Angola, Burundi, Dem. Republic of Congo, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan and South Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania , Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Growth form

Terrestrial.

Literature

  • Burrows, J.E. (1990) Southern African Ferns and Fern Allies. Frandsen, Sandton. Pages 324 - 325. (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 524 - 525. (Includes a picture).
  • Jacobsen, W.B.G. (1983) The Ferns and Fern Allies of Southern Africa. Butterworths, Durban and Pretoria. Pages 456 - 457. (Includes a picture).
  • Kornas, J. (1979) Distribution and ecology of the Pteridophytes in Zambia. Polska Akademia Nauk Wydzial II Nauk Biologicznych. Page 106.
  • Roux, J.P. (2001) Conspectus of Southern African Pteridophyta.Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report, 13 Pages 132 - 133. (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 195.
  • Roux, J.P.; Shaffer-Fehre, M. & Verdcourt, B. (2007) Dryopteridaceae.Flora of Tropical East Africa, Pages 4 - 6. (Includes a picture).
  • Schelpe, E.A.C.L.E. (1970) Pteridophyta.Flora Zambesiaca, 0 Pages 234 - 235.
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