Class
Subclass
Order
Family
Genus
Classification
Nomenclature
Scientific Name:
Schizaea dichotoma (L.) Sm., Mém. Acad. Roy. Sci. (Turin) 5: 422, t. 9, fig. 9 (1793)
Synonymy:
- ≡ Acrostichum dichotomum L., Sp. Pl. 1068 (1753)
- ≡ Osmunda dichotoma (L.) Spreng., J. Bot. (Schrader) 1799(2): 268 (1800)
- ≡ Ripidium dichotomum (L.) Bernh., J. Bot. (Schrader) 1800(2): 127, t. 2, fig. 3 (1801)
Lectotype (selected by Holttum 1959): Drawing of "Cochine branched Comb Fern" in Petiver, Gazophyl. Nat. t. 70, f. 12 (1702–1709), (n.v.)
- = Schizaea forsteri Spreng., Anleit. Kenntn. Gew. 3, 157 (1804)
- ≡ Schizaea dichotoma var. forsteri (Spreng.) Domin, Biblioth. Bot. 20 (85): 207 (1915)
Type: New Caledonia, Forster (according to the Australian Plant Name Index); not located, and possibly no longer extant (Stafleu & Cowan 1985, p. 806).
Etymology:
Vernacular Name(s):
fan fern
Description
Rhizomes short-creeping; bearing glossy, chestnut-brown, septate hairs, 1.5–3.5 mm long. Fronds 60–460 mm long, 20–140 mm wide, fan-shaped. Sterile portion of frond dichotomously divided 3–7 times, erect, 55–450 mm long, flattened, margins entire, 1.0–1.5 mm wide, brown proximally, shiny green distally, occasionally red when young, bearing scattered hairs. Fertile portions of frond pinnately divided, 2–8 mm long, 1–6 mm wide; fertile branches infolded, in 4–8 pairs, 2–7 mm long, undivided or sometimes dichotomously branched, with fimbriate margins. Sporangia borne in one row either side of midrib of fertile branches, 10–15 per branch; long hairs present amongst sporangia.
Recognition
Schizaea dichotoma is easily recognised by its fan-shaped fronds with shiny green, flattened, dichotomously branched sterile laminal segments. The short fertile segments are confined to the tips of the sterile segments.
Distribution
North Island: Northland, Auckland, Volcanic Plateau, Gisborne.
Kermadec Islands.
Altitudinal range: 0–500 m.
Schizaea dichotoma occurs on the Kermadec Islands and from Kaitaia, through Northland and Auckland, to Kāwhia, extending to East Cape and south to Rotorua and Lake Taupō. It grows from near sea level on some offshore islands to c. 500 m on Little Barrier Island, the Paeroa Range, and Rainbow Mountain, near Rotorua.
Also widespread in the tropics and subtropics; East Africa, Madagascar, Mascarene Islands, southern India, Sri Lanka, south-east Asia, Australia (northern Western Australia, Northern Territory, Queensland, NSW) and throughout the Pacific from New Caledonia to the Marquesas Islands.
Habitat
A terrestrial fern usually found under lowland kauri forest; also under mānuka scrub, around thermal sites in the Rotorua/Taupō area, or occasionally under pōhutukawa, tawa or pūriri forest and on sandstone banks.
Biostatus
Indigenous (Non-endemic)
The species was given a conservation status of Naturally Uncommon by de Lange et al. (2013).
Cytology
n = 77 (Lovis in Holttum 1959); n = c.540 (Brownlie 1961). The latter count may have been an erroneous count from a tapetal cell.
Bibliography
Bernhardi, J.J. 1801: Tentamen alterum filices in genera redigenda. Journal für die Botanik (Schrader) 1800(2): 121–136.
Brownlie, G. 1961: Additional chromosome numbers – New Zealand ferns. Transactions of the Royal Society of New Zealand. Botany 1: 1–4.
Brownsey, P.J.; Given, D.R.; Lovis, J.D. 1985: A revised classification of New Zealand pteridophytes with a synonymic checklist of species. New Zealand Journal of Botany 23(3): 431–489.
Brownsey, P.J.; Perrie, L.R. 2014: Schizaeaceae. In: Breitwieser, I; Heenan, P.B.; Wilton, A.D. (ed.) Flora of New Zealand — Ferns and Lycophytes. Fascicle 5. Manaaki Whenua Press, Lincoln.
Brownsey, P.J.; Smith-Dodsworth, J.C. 2000: New Zealand ferns and allied plants. Edition 2. David Bateman, Auckland.
Dawson, M.I.; Brownsey, P.J.; Lovis, J.D. 2000: Index of chromosome numbers of indigenous New Zealand pteridophytes. New Zealand Journal of Botany 38(1): 25–46.
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. [Naturally uncommon]
de Lange, P.J.; Norton, D.A.; Heenan, P.B.; Courtney, S.P.; Molloy, B.P.J.; Ogle, C.C.; Rance, B.D. 2004: Threatened and uncommon plants of New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Botany 42(1): 45–76.
de Lange, P.J.; Rolfe, J.R.; Barkla J.W.; Courtney, S.P.; Champion, P.D.; Perrie, L.R.; Beadel, S.N.; Ford, K.A.; Breitwieser, I.; Schönberger, I.; Hindmarsh-Walls, R.; Heenan, P.B.; Ladley, K. 2018: Conservation status of New Zealand indigenous vascular plants, 2017. New Zealand Threat Classification Series. No. 22. [Naturally Uncommon]
de Lange, P.J.; Rolfe, J.R.; Champion, P.D.; Courtney, S.P.; Heenan, P.B.; Barkla, J.W.; Cameron, E.K.; Norton, D.A.; Hitchmough, R.A. 2013: Conservation status of New Zealand indigenous vascular plants, 2012. New Zealand Threat Classification Series 3. Department of Conservation, Wellington. [Naturally Uncommon]
Domin, K. 1915: Beiträge zur Flora und Pflanzengeographie Australiens. Bibliotheca Botanica 20 (85): 1–239.
Holttum, R.E. 1959: Schizaeaceae. In: Flora Malesiana, Series II - Pteridophyta. Vol. 1. 37–61.
Large, M.F.; Braggins, J.E. 1991: Spore atlas of New Zealand ferns and fern allies. SIR Publishing, Wellington.
Linnaeus, C. 1753: Species Plantarum. Impensis Laurentii Salvii, Stockholm.
Petiver, J. 1702-1709: Gazophylacii naturae & arti decas prima (-decima). Heller, London.
Smith, J.E. 1793: Tentamen botanicum de filicum generibus dorsiferarum. Mémoires de l'Académie Royale des Sciences de Turin 5: 401–422.
Sprengel, K.P.J. 1800: Bemerkungen über einige kyptogamische Pflanzen. Journal für die Botanik (Schrader) 1799(2): 265–273.
Sprengel, K.P.J. 1804: Anleitung zur Kenntniss der Gewächse. Vol. 3. Kümmel, Halle.
Stafleu, F.A.; Cowan, R.S. 1985: Taxonomic literature : a selective guide to botanical publications and collections with dates, commentaries and types. Vol. V: Sal–Ste. Edition 2. Bohn, Scheltema and Holkema, Utrecht.
