Aspleniaceae
Asplenium

Asplenium megalura Hieron.

First published in G.W.J.Mildbraed (ed.), Wiss. Erg. Deut. Zentr.-Afr. Exped., Bot. 2: 17 (1910)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Tropical Africa. It is an epiphyte and grows primarily in the wet tropical biome.

Descriptions

Aspleniaceae, A. H. G. Alston. Flora of West Tropical Africa. Ferns and Fern-Allies Supplement. 1959

Ecology
Epiphyte, at 1, 300 ft. alt.
[FWTA]

Aspleniaceae, Henk Beentje. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 2008

Type
Syntypes from Tanzania: Kwai, Albers 288 (B!, syn.); Buchwald 136 (B!, K!, syn.); Usambara, Busse 380 (B!, syn.), 1145; Kwai, Eick 413 (B!, syn.); Amani, Engler 573 (B!, syn.); Bulua, Mpinga, Holst 83 (B!, syn.), 4255a (B!, syn.), 9145 (B!, syn.); Uluguru, Stuhlmann 8902 (B!, syn.); Wuga to Manka, Uhlig 1504 (B!, syn.); Volkens 61 (B!, syn.) and Congo, Lake Kivu, Mildbraed 1235 (B!, syn.); lectotype, chosen here, Tanzania: Kwai, Buchwald 136 (B!, K!, lecto.)
Morphology General Habit
Epiphyte, rarely lithophyte or terrestrial.
Vegetative Multiplication Rhizomes
Rhizome erect or shortly creeping, to 5 mm diameter, with dark brown narrowly lanceolate attenuate entire rhizome scales up to 6 mm long with narrow pale brown borders, ending in hair-tip.
Morphology Leaves
Frond tufted, rarely shortly spaced, arching or drooping, firmly membranous, not proliferous.
Morphology Leaves Stipes
Stipe shiny dark brown or greyish, 7–19 cm, long, glabrous except at the very base.
Morphology Leaves Leaf lamina
Lamina oblong, 15–43 × 7–13(–16) cm, 1-pinnate, lowest pinnae not reduced, apical segment resembling others, often tricuspidate.
Morphology Leaves Pinnae
Pinnae in 4–15 pairs, (sub-)opposite, subsessile, wedge-shaped (rhomboid-trapeziform), 3-lobed, up to 9 × 4 cm, up to 11 pairs, base cuneate, lower margin entire, apex very longly caudate-cuneate, the distal margin irregularly serrate-dentate and the cauda also serrate, glabrous on both surfaces or with some scattered tiny lobed scales to 0.5 mm, veins flabellate, costa not clear.
Morphology Leaves Rachis
Rachis shiny dark brown, shallowly channelled ventrally, glabrous except for a few very small scales. Sori many per pinna, along veins, linear, (3–)5–20 mm long; indusium linear, membranous, entire, 0.4–0.5 mm wide.
Figures
Fig. 4: 1–2, p. 25.
Ecology
Moist forests, often near streams; 850–2200 m
Conservation
Widespread; least concern (LC)
Note
Faden reports that old stipes and rachises may persist.
Distribution
Range: Tropical Africa from Sierra Leone to Cameroon, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia Flora districts: U2 U3 K4 K5 K7 T3 T4 T6 T7
[FTEA]

Sources

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of West Tropical Africa

    • Flora of West Tropical Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0