Family

Pteridaceae, subfamily Vittarioideae

Nomenclature

Antrophyum parvulum Blume, Enum. Pl. Javae 110. 1828; Holttum, Rev. Fl. Malaya ed. 1, 2: 605. 1955 [‘1954’]; Tagawa & K.Iwats., SouthE. Asian Stud. 5: 111. 1967; Tagawa & K.Iwats., Fl. Thailand 3: 220. 1985; Boonkerd & Pollawatn, Pterid. Thailand: 133. 2000. – Antrophyum reticulatum var. parvulum (Blume) Bedd., Handb. Ferns Brit. India: 403. 1883.

Description

Epiphytic or lithophytic. Rhizome short, creeping, bearing a mass of roots and several fronds, densely scaly; scales very narrowly subtriangular, gradually narrowing towards caudate apex, greyish-brown, clathrate, irregularly toothed at margin, up to 5 by 1 mm. Stipes up to 3 cm long, indistinctly merging with the basal portion of frond; sparsely scaly, green. Frond oblanceolate, broadest above middle, rounded to caudate at apex, gradually narrowing downwards to narrowly cuneate base and decurrent to stipe forming very narrow wings, up to 10 cm or more long, 2 cm broad, leathery, green to paler; costa distinct only in the lowest portion of fronds, veins copiously reticulate without included veinlets. Sori linear, or reticulate along the veins; paraphyses club-shaped.

Distribution in Thailand

NORTHERN: Chiang Mai, Lamphun; NORTH-EASTERN: Loei; PENINSULAR: Nakhon Si Thammarat, Phatthalung, Trang, Yala.

Wider Distribution

India, Hainan, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malesia.

Ecology

On mossy tree trunks or on moist muddy rocks in dense evergreen forests.

Proposed IUCN Conservation Assessment

Least Concern (LC). This species is common and widespread.

Notes

Usually on limestone in Peninsular Malaysia and Taiwan, but in Thailand epiphytic or on non-calcareous rocks.

Voucher specimens - Thailand

Middleton et al. 5402, Phatthalung, Khao Kram Waterfall (E); Middleton et al. 5544, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Namtok Si Khit National Park (E).