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Tectaria gemmifera (Fée) Alston [family TECTARIACEAE]
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
Tectaria gemmifera (Fée) Alston [family TECTARIACEAE]
Common names
Nephrodium cicutarium sensu Sim, Ferns S. Afr.: 187, pl. CXLVIII (1892). Aspidium cicutarium sensu Sim, Ferns S. Afr., 2nd edn: 113, pl. 25 (1915).
gemmifera = bud-bearing
Vernacular names: Forest mother fern; Woud moedervaring (Afr.)
Information
Plants terrestrial. Rhizome erect to suberect, to 100 mm long, to 12 mm in diameter, set with roots, crowded persistent stipe bases and scales, scales chartaceus, concolorous or bicolorous, if bicolorous then centrally castaneus with paler margins, adnate, lanceolate, margins closely set with unicellular, bicellular, and simple and branched hairs along the margin, also with unicellular hairs on the scale surface, to 15 mm long, to 5 mm wide. Fronds crowded, caespitose, arching, to 1.6 m long; stipe firm, proximally castaneus, stramineous higher up, adaxially sulcate, to 750 mm long, to 9 mm in diameter, initially densely scaled at the base, sparsely scaled higher up, scales similar to those on the rhizome; lamina catadromous, ovate-deltate, 2-pinnate-pinnatifid, to 850 mm long, to 900 mm wide, with up to 4 petiolated pinna pairs, pinnatifid towards the apex; rachis stramineous, adaxially sulcate, sulcus not open to that of the lower order axes, closely set with pluticellular, acicular hairs, to 0.25 mm long, winged for most of the length, often with several proliferous buds dorsally near the apex; pinnae opposite to alternate, proximal pinna pair basiscopically developed, 1-pinnate-pinnatifid, inaequilaterally ovate to oblong-cuneate, to 520 mm long, to 340 mm wide, generally with a single sessile or short-stalked pinnule pair, pinnatifid towards the apex, usually slightly overlapping; pinna-rachis convex adaxially, densely set with stramineous acicular hairs to 250 (m long, sparsely haired abaxially, often with several proliferous buds dorsally near the apex; pinnules sessile or petiole to 2 mm long, opposite to alternate, herbaceous, narrowly lanceolate to oblong-cuneate, acroscopic pinnule on the basal pinna to 138 mm long, to 40 mm wide, basal pinnule on the basal pinna to 295 mm long, to 90 mm wide, pinnatifid to lobed, shallowly repand, adaxially sparsely set with pluricellular acicular and 3-celled clavate hairs along the veins, abaxially sparsely set with 2-celled acicular hairs along the veins and 2-celled clavate hairs between the veins. Venation anadromous and catadromous, basiscopic primary vein in the upper pinnae/pinnules usually arises from the rachis or secondary rachis, reticulate, areolae usually without included free veinlets, the free vein branches end in the costae near the margin in slightly enlarged endings. Sori circular, to 1.5 mm in diameter, on a vein, at a vein plexus, or on a simple or branched included free veinlet, in a single row on either side of the costule; sporangium long-stalked, 3-seriate below the capsule, with 2 or 3 usually 3-celled hairs below the sporangium, capsule globose in lateral view, with (12-)13(-14) indurated annulus cells, epistomium (3-)4(-4)-celled, hypostomium (3-)4(-4)-celled; indusium pale brown, firmly herbaceous, circular, reniform, variously set with oblong 1 to 5-celled hairs along the margin and surface, to 1.2 mm in diameter; receptacle nude. Spores 64 per sporangium, stramineous, subellipsoidal, monolete, perispore forming broad wings, cristate, to (30-)34.8(-40) x (22-)26.3(-32) (m. Figure 39C & D.
Habitat
Ecology: Terrestrial, usually in leaf-litter in deep shade on moist or seasonally moist evergreen forest floor, generally near streams. Not edaphically bound, but in Swaziland the species is restricted to soils weathered from the greenstone belt. Nanophanerophyte, mesophyte; fronds mesomorphic. Vegetative reproduction primarily by the formation of bulbils along the main axes of the lamina. Seasonal pattern apparently nonexistent, no dormant period.
Range
Distribution: Sporadic in Swaziland and the species appears to be restricted to forests in ravines of the Sondeza range and Lufafa, occurring at altitudes ranging between 500 and 700 m. Tectaria gemmifera is widespread in the eastern part of west central and east tropical Africa and the eastern parts of south tropical and southern Africa.
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
Tectaria gemmifera (Fée) Alston [family TECTARIACEAE]
Common names
Nephrodium cicutarium sensu Sim, Ferns S. Afr.: 187, pl. CXLVIII (1892). Aspidium cicutarium sensu Sim, Ferns S. Afr., 2nd edn: 113, pl. 25 (1915).
gemmifera = bud-bearing
Vernacular names: Forest mother fern; Woud moedervaring (Afr.)
Information
Plants terrestrial. Rhizome erect to suberect, to 100 mm long, to 12 mm in diameter, set with roots, crowded persistent stipe bases and scales, scales chartaceus, concolorous or bicolorous, if bicolorous then centrally castaneus with paler margins, adnate, lanceolate, margins closely set with unicellular, bicellular, and simple and branched hairs along the margin, also with unicellular hairs on the scale surface, to 15 mm long, to 5 mm wide. Fronds crowded, caespitose, arching, to 1.6 m long; stipe firm, proximally castaneus, stramineous higher up, adaxially sulcate, to 750 mm long, to 9 mm in diameter, initially densely scaled at the base, sparsely scaled higher up, scales similar to those on the rhizome; lamina catadromous, ovate-deltate, 2-pinnate-pinnatifid, to 850 mm long, to 900 mm wide, with up to 4 petiolated pinna pairs, pinnatifid towards the apex; rachis stramineous, adaxially sulcate, sulcus not open to that of the lower order axes, closely set with pluticellular, acicular hairs, to 0.25 mm long, winged for most of the length, often with several proliferous buds dorsally near the apex; pinnae opposite to alternate, proximal pinna pair basiscopically developed, 1-pinnate-pinnatifid, inaequilaterally ovate to oblong-cuneate, to 520 mm long, to 340 mm wide, generally with a single sessile or short-stalked pinnule pair, pinnatifid towards the apex, usually slightly overlapping; pinna-rachis convex adaxially, densely set with stramineous acicular hairs to 250 (m long, sparsely haired abaxially, often with several proliferous buds dorsally near the apex; pinnules sessile or petiole to 2 mm long, opposite to alternate, herbaceous, narrowly lanceolate to oblong-cuneate, acroscopic pinnule on the basal pinna to 138 mm long, to 40 mm wide, basal pinnule on the basal pinna to 295 mm long, to 90 mm wide, pinnatifid to lobed, shallowly repand, adaxially sparsely set with pluricellular acicular and 3-celled clavate hairs along the veins, abaxially sparsely set with 2-celled acicular hairs along the veins and 2-celled clavate hairs between the veins. Venation anadromous and catadromous, basiscopic primary vein in the upper pinnae/pinnules usually arises from the rachis or secondary rachis, reticulate, areolae usually without included free veinlets, the free vein branches end in the costae near the margin in slightly enlarged endings. Sori circular, to 1.5 mm in diameter, on a vein, at a vein plexus, or on a simple or branched included free veinlet, in a single row on either side of the costule; sporangium long-stalked, 3-seriate below the capsule, with 2 or 3 usually 3-celled hairs below the sporangium, capsule globose in lateral view, with (12-)13(-14) indurated annulus cells, epistomium (3-)4(-4)-celled, hypostomium (3-)4(-4)-celled; indusium pale brown, firmly herbaceous, circular, reniform, variously set with oblong 1 to 5-celled hairs along the margin and surface, to 1.2 mm in diameter; receptacle nude. Spores 64 per sporangium, stramineous, subellipsoidal, monolete, perispore forming broad wings, cristate, to (30-)34.8(-40) x (22-)26.3(-32) (m. Figure 39C & D.
Habitat
Ecology: Terrestrial, usually in leaf-litter in deep shade on moist or seasonally moist evergreen forest floor, generally near streams. Not edaphically bound, but in Swaziland the species is restricted to soils weathered from the greenstone belt. Nanophanerophyte, mesophyte; fronds mesomorphic. Vegetative reproduction primarily by the formation of bulbils along the main axes of the lamina. Seasonal pattern apparently nonexistent, no dormant period.
Range
Distribution: Sporadic in Swaziland and the species appears to be restricted to forests in ravines of the Sondeza range and Lufafa, occurring at altitudes ranging between 500 and 700 m. Tectaria gemmifera is widespread in the eastern part of west central and east tropical Africa and the eastern parts of south tropical and southern Africa.
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