Family

Davalliaceae

Nomenclature

Davallia heterophylla Sm., Mém. Acad. Roy. Sci. (Turin) 5: 415. 1793; Tagawa & K.Iwats., Fl. Thailand 3: 616. 1989; Nooteboom, Fl. Males., Ser. II, Ferns and Fern Allies 3: 254. 1998. – Humata heterophylla (Sm.) Desv., Mém. Soc. Linn. Paris 6(3): 323. 1827; Bedd, Handb. Ferns Brit. India: 46. 1883; Bonap., Notes Ptérid. 14: 53. 1923; E.Smith, J. Siam Soc. Nat. Hist. Suppl. 8: 2. 1929; Tardieu & C.Chr., Fl. Indo-Chine 7(2): 109. 1939; Holttum, Rev. Fl. Malaya ed. 1, 2: 366, f. 211. 1955 [‘1954’]; Tagawa & K.Iwats., Fl. Thailand 3: 168. 1985; Boonkerd & Pollawatn, Pterid. Thailand: 171, 235. 2000. – Type: Charles Miller 1778 (BM).

Description

Rhizome long creeping, about 1.5 mm diam., bearing dimorphic fronds remotely, glaucous, densely scaly; scales gradually narrowing from oblong base towards long tails, up to 6 by 0.7 mm, tails usually patent, brown to darker, minutely toothed. Sterile frond: stipe 0.5–2.5 cm long, narrowly winged; lamina simple, oblong, acuminate at apex, round to cuneate at base, entire, 6–9 by 2–2.5 cm; coriaceous, naked; veins twice or thrice forked, all free. Fertile frond: stipe 1–2.5 cm long, winged; lamina linear-lanceolate, gradually narrowing towards both ends, up to 9 by 1 cm, lobed to half way; lobes patent, round, wavy. Sori terminal on veinlets, 3–5 for each lobe, a little inside the edges; indusia up to 1 mm long, 2 mm broad, brown, entire .

Distribution in Thailand

PENINSULAR: Surat Thani, Phangnga, Krabi, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Songkhla, Narathiwat.

Wider Distribution

Throughout Malesia to the Pacific, north to S Vietnam (“Cochinchina”).

Ecology

On branches of trees in dense forests.

Proposed IUCN Conservation Assessment

Least Concern (LC). This species is widespread and not under any known threat.

Voucher specimens - Thailand

Middleton et al. 5224, Songkhla, Ton Nga Chang Wildlife Sanctuary (E).