Australian Tropical Ferns and Lycophytes - Online edition

Asplenium normale


Click/tap on images to enlarge
Close up of frond showing sori. © Australian Tropical Herbarium
Habit. © Australian Tropical Herbarium
Family

Aspleniaceae

Botanical name

Asplenium normale D.Don

Link to Australian Plant Name Index for publication details and synonyms: https://id.biodiversity.org.au/name/apni/105695

Description

Lithophytic ferns. Rhizome erect, scaly. Stipe and rachis shiny, dark brown throughout, ±glabrous; stipe 3–12 cm long, c. 0.5 mm diam. Lamina very narrowly elliptic to ±linear, pinnate, 8–12 cm long, 1.7–2.3 cm wide, thin, ±glabrous. Pinnae in 15–25 pairs, ±oblong; bases unequally cuneate, lobed acroscopically and excised basiscopically, shortly stalked; apices obtuse; acroscopic and apical margins coarsely crenate-serrate; basiscopic margins entire; longest pinnae near middle, 8–12 mm long, 5–7 mm wide, decreasing gradually upwards to a short acuminate pinnatifid apex; lowest pinnae deflexed. Sori to 2 mm long. Perispores dark, reticulate, fenestrate with occasional ridges; exospores 34.6–34.8 × 22.7–23.4 µm (means). 

Distribution

Atherton Tablelands and Eungella region in NE QLD. Also scattered across the Palaeotropics.

Habit and habitat

Terrestrial or litophytic on steep rocks or banks in high rainfall high altitude tropical vine forest.

Natural history

The Australian population does not appear to reproduce from bulbils as is found in populations from overseas.

Citation of Australian Tropical Ferns and Lycophytes

Field AR, Quinn CJ, Zich FA (2022) Australian Tropical Ferns and Lycophytes. apps.lucidcentral.org/fern/text/intro/index.htm (accessed online INSERT DATE).

Field AR, Quinn CJ, Zich FA (2022) ‘Platycerium superbum’, in Australian Tropical Ferns and Lycophytes. apps.lucidcentral.org/fern/text/entities/platycerium_superbum.htm (accessed online INSERT DATE).

Copyright © Australian Tropical Herbarium 2022, all rights reserved.