Megalastrum lanuginosum (Willd. ex Kaulf.) Holttum

First published in Gard. Bull. Singapore 39: 161 (1987)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Tropical & S. Africa, W. Indian Ocean. It grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

Dryopteridaceae, JP Roux, M Shaffer-Fehre, B Verdcourt. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 2007

Type
Mauritius, Petit-Thouars s.n. (B-W 19808, holo.)
Morphology General Habit
Terrestrial.
Vegetative Multiplication Rhizomes
Rhizome scales golden brown, linear, to 25–30 mm long, margin serrulate Rhizome erect or ascending, ± 15 cm high, to 5 cm in diameter.
Morphology Leaves
Fronds tufted, 1.3–1.5 m long.
Morphology Leaves Stipes
Stipe dark auburn near base, stramineous or green above, 64–100 cm long, at base ± 1 cm in diameter, 0.5 cm below blade, near base with dense ferruginous scales as on rhizome.
Morphology Leaves Pinnae
Number of pinnae not clear, but more than 15, basal pinnae the longest, these to 40 × 14–27 cm, stalked, ± 18 pinnule pairs, strongly basiscopically developed, first basiscopic pinnule to 20 × 7(–9) cm with ± 19 pairs of 2nd order pinnules; median pinnae ± 30 × 9 cm, with up to 32 pinnules, the lower pinnate, the upper lobed; ultimate segments oblong, rounded, ± 3 mm wide, crenate, obtuse.
Morphology Leaves Leaf lamina
Lamina lightly pubescent on both surfaces, more densely on costa and veins, indument of septate hairs and few scales Lamina membranaceous, dull green above, pale green below, ovate to deltoid, 66–130 × ± 80 cm, tripinnate-pinnatisect, basally 4-pinnatifid.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Sori
Sori median, most often on acroscopic veinlet, 0.4–1 mm in diameter; indusium circular, ± 1 mm in diameter, deep notch at point of attachment, tissue of thick red-brown radial walls, with paler sometimes flabellate margins, persistent hairs and marginal glands, finally withdrawn into centre of sorus; sporangia dark brown
Morphology Reproductive morphology Spores
Spores monolete, 0.1 mm long, 0.08 mm wide, uniformly spinulose
Figures
Figure 7
Ecology
Moist forest, often near water; may be locally common; (1000–)1400–2400 m
Conservation
Widespread; least concern (LC)
Note
Observed in most specimens an additional acroscopic pinnule between first two basiscopic ones (cf. both species of Lastreopsis). Lamina has odour of cut grass when crushed ( fide Faden).
Distribution
Flora districts: K4 K7 T3 T6 T7 Range: Bioko, São Tomé, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and South Africa; Madagascar, Mauritius
[FTEA]

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/120225667/120225679

Conservation
LC - least concern
[IUCN]

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

Ecology
Terrestrial; 4, 000 to 7, 000 ft. alt.
[FWTA]

Uses

Use
None recorded for our area
[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

    • '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/
  • IUCN Categories

    • IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/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
  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images