Aspleniaceae
Asplenium

Asplenium christii Hieron.

First published in H.G.A.Engler, Pflanzenw. Ost-Afrikas, C: 82 (1895)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Kenya to KwaZulu-Natal. It is a perennial and grows primarily in the wet tropical biome.

Descriptions

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

Type
Type: Tanzania, Lushoto District: Usambara Mts, Silai, Holst 2304 (B!, holo.; K!, iso.)
Morphology General Habit
Terrestrial or less often low epiphyte or lithophyte.
Vegetative Multiplication Rhizomes
Rhizome ± 4 mm diameter, erect or ascending, with concolorous brown narrowly triangular entire scales up to 3 × 0.5 mm at the base.
Morphology Leaves
Fronds tufted, dimorphic or uniform, fertile fronds proliferous, 1.5–2 times as long as the sterile non-proliferous fronds.
Morphology Leaves Stipes
Stipe matt-greygreen, 5–12 (sterile) or 6–26 cm (fertile) long, 1–1.5 mm diameter, at first with sparse lanceolate-acuminate scales ± 1 mm long, similar to those on the rhizome, later becoming subglabrous.
Morphology Leaves Leaf lamina
Lamina thinly coriaceous, 1-pinnate; sterile lamina broadly lanceolate to ovate, 6–15 × 3–8 cm, pinnae closely spaced and not proliferous. Fertile lamina narrowly lanceolate to lanceolate, 13–27 × 5–8.5 cm, widely spaced and proliferous below the terminal pinna or occasionally on the pinna midrib.
Morphology Leaves Leaf veins
Veins forked; lower pinnae similar to others.
Morphology Leaves Pinnae
Pinnae decreasing in size towards the apex of the frond, terminal pinna similar to other pinnae, bearing a bud at its base in fertile fronds. Pinnae in 5–12 pairs, alternate, subsessile, asymmetrically ovate to lanceolate and often slightly falcate, 2–6 × 1–2.3 cm, base unequally cuneate, the lower pinnae often with a pronounced lobe on the acroscopic side, margin serrate to sharply crenate, apex acute to attenuate, glabrous except for a few small brown scales along the costa below.
Morphology Leaves Rachis
Rachis similar to stipe.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Sori
Sori several to many, along the veins from near the costa to halfway to the margin, linear, 3–8 mm long, indusium entire, 0.4–0.8 mm wide, membranous.
Figures
Fig. 3: 10–11, p. 19.
Ecology
Moist forest, where it may be common; (300–)900–2000(–2300) m
Conservation
Widespread; least concern (LC)
Note
This species rather resembles small plants of A. elliottii. The similar A. mossambicense Schelpe is only known from two sites in Zimbabwe and Mt Gorongosa in Mozambique.
Distribution
Range: Mozambique, Zimbabwe, South Africa Flora districts: U2 U3 U4 K3 K5 K7 T3 T6 T7
[FTEA]

Sources

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

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

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
    • 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