Species

Adiantum fulvum

Etymology

Adiantum: From the Greek a- 'without, lacking' and diantos 'moistened', the fronds of this fern are supposed to remain dry after submersion in water
fulvum: tawny yellow

Common Name(s)

Maidenhair

Current Conservation Status

2012 - Not Threatened

Conservation status of New Zealand indigenous vascular plants, 2012
The conservation status of all known New Zealand vascular plant taxa at the rank of species and below were reassessed in 2012 using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS). This report includes a statistical summary and brief notes on changes since 2009 and replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants. Authors: Peter J. de Lange, Jeremy R. Rolfe, Paul D. Champion, Shannel P. Courtney, Peter B. Heenan, John W. Barkla, Ewen K. Cameron, David A. Norton and Rodney A. Hitchmough. File size: 792KB

Previous Conservation Status

2009 - Not Threatened
2004 - Not Threatened

Authority

Adiantum fulvum Raoul

Family

Pteridaceae

Flora Category

Vascular - Native

NVS Species Code

ADIFUL

The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.

Structural Class

Ferns

Distribution

Endemic. New Zealand: North, South, and Chatham Islands. From Te Paki south to the Taranaki and Hawkes Bay thence rather local reaching a southern limit on Banks Peninsula.

Habitat

Coastal to lower montane in closed forest on clay banks, amongst boulders, along stream sides and in moderately open sites on the forest floor

Features

Tufted, terrestrial fern. Rhizomes short-creeping, c.1.5-2.0 mm diameter. Fronds spreading, dark green, concolorous, to 500 mm long. Stipe to 150 mm long, clad in short setose hairs. Lamina 150-350 × 100-250 mm, ovate to broadly ovate, 2-3-pinnate at base and 1-pinnate above; rachises flexuous, glossy, covered in short setose hairs. Pinnules attached by a short stalk on one corner, oblong to oblong falcate, curved acroscopically at apices, distal margins irregularly lobed, proximal margins smooth, adaxially glabrous, abaxially covered in sparse to dense short, setose hairs. Sori 1-7(-10) along distal margins, one per lobe; soral flaps subreniform to reniform, glabrous, ± immersed in the lobe.

Similar Taxa

Easily confused with Adiantum cunninghamii with which it sometimes grows and from which it differs by its dark green rather than glaucescent fronds, and by the hairy stipes, rachises and undersides of the pinnules. Adiantum viridescens is also superficially similar it can be distinguished from A. fulvum by the narrower often sickle-shaped, shiny, dark green, glabrous pinnules.

Flowering

Not applicable - spore producing

Flower Colours

No Flowers

Fruiting

Not applicable - spore producing

Propagation Technique

Slow but once established easy. Flourishes in deep shade, planted in a moist, well drained, fertile soil. Best grown from spores which must be sown fresh. Spores may take several years to produce plants.

Threats

Not Threatened but often rather uncommon over large parts of its range

Chromosome No.

2n = 116

Endemic Taxon

Yes

Endemic Genus

No

Endemic Family

No

Life Cycle and Dispersal

Minute spores are wind dispersed (Thorsen et al., 2009).

Attribution

Fact Sheet including description prepared for NZPCN by P.J. de Lange (Updated 4 May 2011).

This page last updated on 28 Nov 2016