Edit History
Blechnum tabulare (Thunb.) Kuhn [family BLECHNACEAE]
Date Updated: 19 August 2007
Herbarium
South African National Biodiversity Institute, Compton Herbarium, Cape Town (SAM)
Collection
Swaziland ferns and fern allies
Resource Type
Reference Sources
Entry From
Swaziland Ferns and Fern Allies, (2003) Author: J.P. Roux
Names
Blechnum tabulare (Thunb.) Kuhn [family BLECHNACEAE]
Common names
Lomaria coriacea Schrad. in Gött. Gel. Anz. 1818: 916 (1818). Type: Cape, Hesse s.n. (?LE, holo.). Lomaria gueinzii Moug. ex Fée, Mém. foug. 5: 69 (1852). Type: South Africa, Gueinzius s.n. Herb. Moug. (missing). Lomaria cycadioides Pappe & Rawson, Syn. fil. Afr. austr.: 2 (1858). Blechnum cycadioides (Pappe & Rawson) Kuhn, Filic. afr.: 91 (1868). Type: In the woods of Natal, Plant 335 (missing). Lomaria dalgairnsiae Pappe & Rawson, Syn. fil. Afr. austr.: 27 (1858). Blechnum dalgairnsiae (Pappe & Rawson) Kuhn, Filic. afr.: 92 (1868). Type: In the dense forests of Knysna, Dalgairns s.n. (BM, holo.). Lomaria boryana sensu Sim, Ferns S. Afr.: 123, pl. LVIII (1892).
tabulare = flattened horizontally, growing on Table Mountain, South Africa
Vernacular names: Mountain hard-fern; Vals boomvaring (Afr.)
Information
Plants terrestrial. Rhizome erect or decumbent, to 900 mm long, to 100 mm in diameter, closely set with roots, crowded persistent stipe bases and scales, scales chartaceus, concolorous and/or bicolorous, bicolorous scales ferrugineous to stramineous with a castaneus, narrow central stripe, sessile, lanceolate-flagelliform to linear-attenuate, cordate to cordate-imbricate, entire or with a few short marginal outgrowths near the base, apex terminates in an oblong thin-walled cell, to 23 mm long, to 3 mm wide. Fronds crowded, caespitose, erect, dimorphic, fertile usually overtop the sterile, sterile to 1.2 m long, fertile to 1.25 m long; stipe rigid, proximally castaneus, stramineous higher up, adaxially sulcate, sterile to 60 mm long, to 6 mm in diameter, fertile to 110 mm long, to 8 mm in diameter, set with unicellular cylindrical glands to 112 (m long, and scales, smaller scales filiform, larger scales similar to those on the rhizome; lamina 1-pinnate, sterile oblong-obtuse to oblong-acute, gradually reduced towards the base, basal pinnae widely spaced, more closely spaced and often imbricate towards the apex, to 1.1 m long, to 300 mm wide, with up to 14 free pinna pairs, fertile oblong-obtuse, gradually reduced towards the base, basal pinnae widely spaced, more closely spaced to crowded higher up, to 1.14 m long, to 230 mm wide, with up to 42 pinna pairs; rachis firm, stramineous, adaxially sulcate, sulcus not open to that of the costae, pronounced abaxially, variously set with glands and scales similar to those on the stipe; pinnae coriaceus, pale green, sterile sessile, oblong-cuneate, entire, base inaequilateral, acroscopically narrowly cuneate, basiscopically cuneate to obtuse, gradually basiscopically decurrent along the rachis towards the apex, to 190 mm long, to 17 mm wide, fertile sessile, linear, to 215 mm long, to 4 mm wide, adaxially with scattered unicellular cylindrical glands to 112 (m long, abaxially with glands and scales, scales initially closely set along the costa, chartaceus, ferrugineous to stramineous, sessile, lanceolate-flagelliform to filiform, cordate to narrowly cuneate, entire, or irregularly set with scattered marginal outgrowths, apex terminates in an oblong thin-walled cell, to 11 mm long, to 0.5 mm wide; costa adaxially shallowly sulcate. Venation adaxially obscure, evident abaxially, forked, in the sterile, free branches end near the margin, in the fertile the veins anastomose to form a continuous near-marginal vascular commissure. Sori linear, extending most of the pinna length; indusium firmly chartaceus, brown, near-marginal, linear, lacerate; sporangium long-stalked, simple, 3-seriate below capsule, capsule broadly elliptic in lateral view, with (16-)19(-20) indurated annulus cells, epistomium (6-)7(-9)-celled, hypostomium (4-)6(-8)-celled. Spores 64 per sporangium, brown, elliptic, monolete, with low reticulate ridges, granulate, (58-)63.29(-72) x (46-)49.52(-54) (m. Figure 45D & E.
Habitat
Ecology: Terrestrial or epilithic, at boulder bases, along streams, in ditches and in seepage areas in submontane grassveld, exposed or partially shaded. Not edaphically bound, occurring in soils weathered from an array of different rock types. Nanophanerophyte, mesoxeromorphic; fronds mesoxeromorphic, fertile fronds short-lived. Vegetative reproduction by the rarely branched rhizome. Seasonal pattern pronounced with fertile fronds produced during the summer only. No dormant period, pyrophytic.
Range
Distribution: Frequent in the western half of the country, occurring at altitudes ranging between 920 and 1 520 m. The species is widespread in the mountainous regions of sub-Sahara African and the western Indian Ocean region.
Date Updated: 19 August 2007
Herbarium
South African National Biodiversity Institute, Compton Herbarium, Cape Town (SAM)
Collection
Swaziland ferns and fern allies
Resource Type
Reference Sources
Entry From
Swaziland Ferns and Fern Allies, (2003) Author: J.P. Roux
Names
Blechnum tabulare (Thunb.) Kuhn [family BLECHNACEAE]
Common names
Lomaria coriacea Schrad. in Gött. Gel. Anz. 1818: 916 (1818). Type: Cape, Hesse s.n. (?LE, holo.). Lomaria gueinzii Moug. ex Fée, Mém. foug. 5: 69 (1852). Type: South Africa, Gueinzius s.n. Herb. Moug. (missing). Lomaria cycadioides Pappe & Rawson, Syn. fil. Afr. austr.: 2 (1858). Blechnum cycadioides (Pappe & Rawson) Kuhn, Filic. afr.: 91 (1868). Type: In the woods of Natal, Plant 335 (missing). Lomaria dalgairnsiae Pappe & Rawson, Syn. fil. Afr. austr.: 27 (1858). Blechnum dalgairnsiae (Pappe & Rawson) Kuhn, Filic. afr.: 92 (1868). Type: In the dense forests of Knysna, Dalgairns s.n. (BM, holo.). Lomaria boryana sensu Sim, Ferns S. Afr.: 123, pl. LVIII (1892).
tabulare = flattened horizontally, growing on Table Mountain, South Africa
Vernacular names: Mountain hard-fern; Vals boomvaring (Afr.)
Information
Plants terrestrial. Rhizome erect or decumbent, to 900 mm long, to 100 mm in diameter, closely set with roots, crowded persistent stipe bases and scales, scales chartaceus, concolorous and/or bicolorous, bicolorous scales ferrugineous to stramineous with a castaneus, narrow central stripe, sessile, lanceolate-flagelliform to linear-attenuate, cordate to cordate-imbricate, entire or with a few short marginal outgrowths near the base, apex terminates in an oblong thin-walled cell, to 23 mm long, to 3 mm wide. Fronds crowded, caespitose, erect, dimorphic, fertile usually overtop the sterile, sterile to 1.2 m long, fertile to 1.25 m long; stipe rigid, proximally castaneus, stramineous higher up, adaxially sulcate, sterile to 60 mm long, to 6 mm in diameter, fertile to 110 mm long, to 8 mm in diameter, set with unicellular cylindrical glands to 112 (m long, and scales, smaller scales filiform, larger scales similar to those on the rhizome; lamina 1-pinnate, sterile oblong-obtuse to oblong-acute, gradually reduced towards the base, basal pinnae widely spaced, more closely spaced and often imbricate towards the apex, to 1.1 m long, to 300 mm wide, with up to 14 free pinna pairs, fertile oblong-obtuse, gradually reduced towards the base, basal pinnae widely spaced, more closely spaced to crowded higher up, to 1.14 m long, to 230 mm wide, with up to 42 pinna pairs; rachis firm, stramineous, adaxially sulcate, sulcus not open to that of the costae, pronounced abaxially, variously set with glands and scales similar to those on the stipe; pinnae coriaceus, pale green, sterile sessile, oblong-cuneate, entire, base inaequilateral, acroscopically narrowly cuneate, basiscopically cuneate to obtuse, gradually basiscopically decurrent along the rachis towards the apex, to 190 mm long, to 17 mm wide, fertile sessile, linear, to 215 mm long, to 4 mm wide, adaxially with scattered unicellular cylindrical glands to 112 (m long, abaxially with glands and scales, scales initially closely set along the costa, chartaceus, ferrugineous to stramineous, sessile, lanceolate-flagelliform to filiform, cordate to narrowly cuneate, entire, or irregularly set with scattered marginal outgrowths, apex terminates in an oblong thin-walled cell, to 11 mm long, to 0.5 mm wide; costa adaxially shallowly sulcate. Venation adaxially obscure, evident abaxially, forked, in the sterile, free branches end near the margin, in the fertile the veins anastomose to form a continuous near-marginal vascular commissure. Sori linear, extending most of the pinna length; indusium firmly chartaceus, brown, near-marginal, linear, lacerate; sporangium long-stalked, simple, 3-seriate below capsule, capsule broadly elliptic in lateral view, with (16-)19(-20) indurated annulus cells, epistomium (6-)7(-9)-celled, hypostomium (4-)6(-8)-celled. Spores 64 per sporangium, brown, elliptic, monolete, with low reticulate ridges, granulate, (58-)63.29(-72) x (46-)49.52(-54) (m. Figure 45D & E.
Habitat
Ecology: Terrestrial or epilithic, at boulder bases, along streams, in ditches and in seepage areas in submontane grassveld, exposed or partially shaded. Not edaphically bound, occurring in soils weathered from an array of different rock types. Nanophanerophyte, mesoxeromorphic; fronds mesoxeromorphic, fertile fronds short-lived. Vegetative reproduction by the rarely branched rhizome. Seasonal pattern pronounced with fertile fronds produced during the summer only. No dormant period, pyrophytic.
Range
Distribution: Frequent in the western half of the country, occurring at altitudes ranging between 920 and 1 520 m. The species is widespread in the mountainous regions of sub-Sahara African and the western Indian Ocean region.
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