Species

Trichomanes elongatum

Etymology

elongatum: elongate

Common Name(s)

bristle fern

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

Trichomanes elongatum A.Cunn.

Family

Hymenophyllaceae

Flora Category

Vascular - Native

NVS Species Code

TRIELO

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

Synonyms

Selenodesmium elongatum (A.Cunn.) Copel., Abrodictyum elongatum (A.Cunn.) Ebihara et K.Iwats.

Distribution

Endemic. New Zealand: North, South and Chatham Islands. Scarce on the Chatham Islands where it is only known from Rekohu (Chatham Islands)

Habitat

Coastal to montane in closed and open forest and gumland scrub. Usually on semi-shaded mossy clay banks, in overhangs on rock, soil, clay or along stream side banks. Often in rather dry or seasonally dry, semi-shaded sites. This species appears to resent poorly drained habitats.

Features

Terrestrial tufted fern. Rhizomes short, stout, erect, bearing numerous dark brown hairs. Fronds submembranous, ± cartilaginous, dark olive-green, adaxially glossy, surfaces often covered in epiphyllous liverworts and mosses. Stipes 50-200 mm long. Rachises winged only near apices. Laminae 60-150 × deltoid, 3-pinnate. Primary and secondary pinnae overlapping, stalked; ultimate segments broad, deeply toothed, the veins forking several times in each. Sori sessile, borne in notches of lamina segments, several on each primary pinnae. Indusia tubular, mouth slightly flared, receptacle exserted.

Similar Taxa

Easily recognised by the erect rhizome, deltoid, dark olive-green fronds (which often support epiphyllous bryophytes), and by the conspicuous tubular indusia bearing brown hair-like, bristly well exserted receptacles.

Flowering

N.A.

Flower Colours

No Flowers

Fruiting

N.A.

Propagation Technique

Difficult - should not be removed from the wild

Threats

Not Threatened

Endemic Taxon

No

Endemic Genus

No

Endemic Family

No

Where To Buy

Not commercially available.

Taxonomic Notes

Previously NZPCN had followed Ebihara et al. (2006) in recognising Abrodictyum as distinct from Trichomanes - recently Brownsey & Perrie (2016) have rejected this idea favouring a return to the past broad circumscription of Trichomanes used in New Zealand.

 

 

Attribution

Fact sheet prepared for NZPCN by P.J. de Lange (21 April 2011). Description adapted from Brownsey & Smith-Dodsworth (2000).

References and further reading

Brownsey, P.J.; Smith-Dodsworth, J.C. 2000: New Zealand Ferns and Allied Plants. Auckland, David Bateman

Brownsey, P.J. & Perrie, L.R. 2016: Hymenophyllaceae. In: Breitwieser, I.; Heenan, P.B.; Wilton, A.D.
Flora of New Zealand - Ferns and Lycophytes. Fascicle 15. Manaaki Whenua Press, Lincoln.

Ebihara, A.; Dubuisson, J-Y.; Iwatsuki, K.; Hennequin, S.; Ito, M. 2006: A taxonomic revision of the Hymenophyllaceae. Blumea 51: 2-57

This page last updated on 9 Apr 2016