Aspleniaceae
Asplenium

Asplenium blastophorum Hieron.

First published in Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 46: 378 (1911)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Tropical Africa to KwaZulu-Natal, Madagascar. 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
On trees in gallery forest; up to 5, 300 ft. alt.
[FWTA]

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

Type
Type: Sudan, Niamniam/Monbuttu border, Schweinfurth 3295 (B!, lecto., BM!, K (not found), iso.), chosen by ?Burrows
Morphology General Habit
Terrestrial or lithophyte.
Vegetative Multiplication Rhizomes
Rhizome short-creeping, to 7 mm diameter, with dark brown subulate entire rhizome scales up to 5 mm long.
Morphology Leaves
Fronds shortly spaced, arching, narrowly deltoid, proliferous at base of terminal pinna (and sometimes on pinna costa) near the apex, thinly coriaceous.
Morphology Leaves Stipes
Stipe matt black, 12–35 cm long, set with brown subulate scales similar to rhizome scales, glabrescent.
Morphology Leaves Leaf lamina
Lamina ovate to deltate, 15–48 × 8–20 cm, 2-pinnate to 3-pinnatifid near the base of the lamina, the lowest pinnae longest, apical pinna similar to upper pinnae.
Morphology Leaves Pinnae
Pinnae dark green above, ovate or lanceolate in outline, up to 11 × 4.5 cm, unequally cuneate at the base, attenuate, progressively deeply divided towards the base into obcuneate or rhombic pinnules with the outer margins sharply serrate and irregularly shallowly incised, free pinnules with cuneate to narrowly cuneate bases, glabrous except for small lanceolate dark scales near the extreme base.
Morphology Leaves Rachis
Rachis matt brown, with occasional dark subulate scales, sulcate ventrally.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Sori
Sori along the veins, linear, 4–30 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Sori Indusium
Indusium linear, narrow, membranous, entire, 0.3–0.4 mm wide.
Figures
Fig. 7: 1–2, p. 42.
Ecology
Moist forest; 900–1600 m
Conservation
Widespread; least concern (LC)
Note
I agree with Faden that in habit and cutting of the fronds this species most closely resembles the non-proliferous A. buettneri, which however has more dissected pinnae. However, in Zambia there are populations without gemmae – fide Kornaś.
Distribution
Flora districts: U2 K5 T6 T7 Range: Tropical Africa from Ivory Coast to Sudan and south to South Africa
[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 2026. 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 2026. 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