Species
Pteris comans
Etymology
Pteris: A fern known to the ancient Greeks; from the Greek pteris
comans: like a luxurious head of hair
Common Name(s)
coastal brake, netted brake
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
Pteris comans G. Forst.
Family
Pteridaceae
Flora Category
Vascular - Native
PTECOM
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
Indigenous (see Taxonomic Notes). New Zealand: Kermadec Islands (Raoul, the Meyers Islands and Macauley Island), Three Kings and North Island from North Cape to Bay of Plenty in the east and Waitakere coastline in the west
Habitat
Coastal in forest especially on the sides of gullies, on banks and in valley heads. A very common offshore island fern
Features
Terrestrial ferns. Rhizomes short, erect, scaly. Stipes 0.25-0.6 m long, pale brown, glabrous or scaly at very base. Laminae 0.2-1.8 × 0.15-0.9 m, dark green to yellow-green, 2-3-pinnate at base, ovate, coriaceous, veins reticulate. Pinnae not overlapping; most lower secondary pinnae adnate. Ultimate segments 10-55 × 5-10 mm, oblong, apices tapering or bluntly pointed, margins toothed. Sori continuous along pinna margins on a marginal vein, protected by a membranous inrolled pinna margins.
Similar Taxa
The New Zealand race of Pteris comans is easily distinguished from all other New Zealand Pteris by the coriaceous (leathery) fronds, reticulate venation, overlapping pinnae and large ultimate segments. The only other Pteris with reticulate venation are P. saxatilis and P. maclienta. Pteris saxatilis differs by the very widely spaced primary and secondary pinnae; laminae 0.15-0.5 × 0.12-0.25 m, and the ultimate segments up to 15 × 5 mm. Pteris saxatilis hybridises freely with P. comans. Pteris maclienta is distinguished from both species by the less widely spaced primary and secondary pinnae; laminae 0.25-0.9 × 0.15-0.5 mm, and the ultimate segments up to 15 × 5 mm. Pteris maclienta never forms hybrids with P. comans or P. saxatilis.
Flowering
Not applicable - spore producing
Flower Colours
No Flowers
Fruiting
Not applicable - spore producing
Propagation Technique
Results vary with some people finding Pteris comans easy to grow and others well nigh impossible. Pteris comans resents cold conditions and seems to do best in a semi-shaded, light, sandy, but moist soil.
Threats
Not Threatened
Chromosome No.
2n = 58, 60
Endemic Taxon
No
Endemic Genus
No
Endemic Family
No
Taxonomic Note
New Zealand plants of Pteris comans are not that species (Pteris comans s.s. is a very different plant altogether which was actually based on specimens collected from Tanna Island by Georg Forster on Captain Cook's second voyage (J.E. Braggins pers. comm.). However, until such time as they are described as a new endemic species, it seems sensible to follow the current Flora treatment (Allan 1961) and refer our plant to P. comans s.l. A form of Pteris found along the North-West Nelson and northern Westland coastline, often on calcareous rocks, and sometimes extending well inland in karst country has been placed with P. comans or P. maclienta by various fern experts. This form is, apparently closest to the Australian from of P. comans (J.E. Braggins pers. comm.). This entity has been listed in past Threatened and Uncommon New Zealand Vascular Plant listings as Pteris aff. macilenta (AK 210045; Punakaiki) (see de Lange et al. 2009), and it was removed from that list in 2009 because it is now known to be more widespread than had been believed. Nevertheless it warrants further study.
Attribution
Fact sheet [repared for NZPCN by P.J. de Lange (17 January 2012). Description adapted from Brownsey & Smith-Dodsworth (2000).
References and further reading
Allan, H.H. 1961: New Zealand Flora. Vol. I. Wellington, Government Printer.
Brownsey, P.J.; Smith-Dodsworth, J.C. 2000: New Zealand Ferns and Allied Plants. Auckland, David Bateman.
de Lange, P.J.; Norton, D.A.; Courtney, S.P.; Heenan, P.B.; Barkla, J.W.; Cameron, E.K.; Hitchmough, R.; Townsend, A.J. 2009: Threatened and uncommon plants of New Zealand (2008 revision). New Zealand Journal of Botany 47: 61–96.
This page last updated on 11 Aug 2014