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Blechnum monomorphum

Overview

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Vulnerable

Threat status

Interesting Facts

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Description

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Family Blechnaceae

Plants perennial , mostly terrestrial , occasionally on rock or epiphytic. Stems creeping to suberect or ascending , sometimes climbing [rarely arborescent ], slender to stout, dictyostelic, scaly . Leaves monomorphic or dimorphic , large and coarse , generally greater than 30 cm, often exceeding 1 m. Petiole not articulate , generally more than 2 vascular bundles arranged in arc, generally scaly at least at base . Blade often anthocyanic (reddish) when young, pinnatifid [rarely simple ] to pinnate-pinnatifid or 2-pinnate [rarely decompound ], glabrous or occasionally bearing scales or capitate glands . Rachis frequently grooved adaxially. Veins of sterile leaves generally free , rarely anastomosing, veins of fertile leaves united to form sorus-bearing secondary vein parallel to costa or costule (vascular commisure), sometimes anastomosing further. Sori elongate along secondary vein; indusia present [rarely absent], opening along costal side of fertile vein, frequently hidden by dehisced sporangia; sporangial stalk of 3 rows of cells . Spores monolete, reniform ; perine present, variously ornamented. Gametophytes green, cordate, sometimes bearing capitate hairs, antheridia and archegonia borne on lower surface.

Genera ca. 10, species ca. 250 (2 genera, 6 species in the flora ) : mostly tropical and south temperate (except Woodwardia, which is north temperate) .

Circumscription of genera is controversial, especially as to placement of those species now included in Blechnum . Characteristics holding the family together include the anastomoses of veins along the axes of the blade to form a series of areoles or a single continuous vein along which the sorus is borne, elongate sori with indusia opening toward midvein , bilateral spores, and chromosome base numbers of generally x = 28--36. Relationships of the family with both dryopteroid and athyrioid ferns have been suggested.[1]

Genus Blechnum

Plants terrestrial or rarely on rock. Stems creeping to ascending or erect , slender to stout, sometimes climbing [rarely subarborescent]; scales brown or black. Leaves monomorphic or variously dimorphic , cespitose to scattered . Blades pinnatifid to 1-pinnate, rarely simple or 2-pinnate. Rachis and costae glabrous , scaly , or hairy abaxially. Veins free , often forked . Sori borne on vascular commissures parallel to costae, 1 per side, normally uninterrupted, linear , continuous along length of costa. Spores with perine smooth to variously winged or rugose . x = 28, 29, 31, 32, 34, 36.

Species ca. 220: mostly tropical , especially Southern Hemisphere.[2]

Habitat

Ecology: High Andean forest (2,500–3,000 m ).[3].

List of Habitats :

Taxonomy

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Notes

Publishing author : R.C.Moran & B .?llg. Publication : Nordic J. Bot. 15: 177, fig 1995

Similar Species

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Members of the genus Blechnum

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 30 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus:

B. appendiculatum (Hammock Fern) · B. blechnoides (Salt-Spray Fern) · B. brasiliense (Brazilian Blechnum) · B. cartilagineum (Gristle Fern) · B. chambersii (Lance Water-Fern) · B. chilense (Chilean Hard-Fern) · B. chordatum (Chilean Hard Fern) · B. divergens (Ravine Midsorus Fern) · B. fluviatile (Ray Water-Fern) · B. fragile (Fragile Midsorus Fern) · B. fraseri (Maukurangi) · B. gibbum (Dwarf Tree Fern) · B. gibbum 'Silver Lady' (Dwarf Tree Fern) · B. insularum (Graceful Midsorus Fern) · B. lineatum (Rockbank Midsorus Fern) · B. minus (Hard Water Fern) · B. moorei (Brazilian Tree Fern) · B. novae-zealandiae (Gully Fern) · B. nudum (Fishbone Water-Fern) · B. occidentale (Hammock Fern) · B. occidentale var. pubirachis (New World Midsorus Fern) · B. orientale (Blechnum) · B. patersonii (Strap Water-Fern) · B. penna-marina (Alpine Water-Fern) · B. polypodioides (Narrowleaf Midsorus Fern) · B. serrulatum (Swamp Fern) · B. spicant (Deer Fern) · B. tabulare (Table Mountain Fern) · B. virginicum (Virginia Chain Fern) · B. wattsii (Hard Water Fern)

More Info

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Further Reading

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Notes

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Contributors

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal February 27, 2008:

Identifiers

Footnotes

  1. Raymond B. Cranfill "Blechnaceae". in Flora of North America Vol. 2. Oxford University Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
  2. Clifton E. Nauman "Blechnum". in Flora of North America Vol. 2. Oxford University Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
  3. Navarrete, H. & Pitman, N. 2003. Blechnum monomorphum. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 30 January 2012. [back]
Last Revised: 7/22/2012