Family

Lygodiaceae

Nomenclature

Lygodium microphyllum (Cav.) R.Br., Prodr. Fl. Nov. Holland.: l62. 1810; Bedd., Handb. Ferns Brit. India: 455, f. 282. 1883; Christ, Bot. Tidsskr. 24: 112. 1901; Holttum, Fl. Males., Ser. II, Pterid. 1: 47. f. 5e & f, 6 & 7. 1959; Holttum, Dansk Bot. Ark. 20: 16; 1961; Holttum, Rev. Fl. Malaya, ed. 2, 2: 630. 1968; Tagawa & K.Iwats., SouthE. Asian Stud. 5: 34. 1967; Tagawa & K.Iwats., Acta Phytotax. Geobot. 23: 51. 1968; Tagawa & K.Iwats., Fl. Thailand 3: 60. 1979; Boonkerd & Pollawatn, Pterid. Thailand: 34, 83. 2000. – Ugenia microphylla Cav., Icon. 6: 76, t. 595. 1801.

Lygodium scandens Sw., Schrad. J. Bot. 1800(2): 106. 1801; C.Chr., Bot. Tidsskr. 32: 349. 1916; C.Chr., Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 26: 329. 1931; Tardieu & C.Chr., Fl. Indo-Chine 7(2): 41. 1939; Holttum, Rev. Fl. Malaya ed. 1, 2: 58, f. 12. 1955 [‘1954’]; Seidenf., Nat. Hist. Bull. Siam Soc. 19: 85. 1958; Ching, Fl. Reipubl. Popularis Sin. 2: 109. 1959.

Description

Rhizome widely creeping, irregularly branching, 2–3 mm in diameter, densely covered with blackish brown hairs. Fronds climbing, sometimes to several metres; stipes about 10 cm long, dark stramineous, glabrescent, very narrowly winged in the upper part; rachis like the upper part of stipes, stramineous, glabrescent, narrowly winged throughout; pinnae numerous, 5–10 cm apart; primary rachis-branches 2–5 mm or so long, the apex densely covered with brown hairs, dormant but occasionally protruding to some extent; secondary rachis-branches 5–8 cm long, glabrescent, narrowly winged; leaflets several in pairs on secondary rachis-branches, with distinct stalk 2–3 mm, deltoid to oblong-subdeltoid, gradually narrowing towards moderately acute apex, subtruncate or broadly cuneate at more or less auricled base, entire at margin, glabrescent, 1.5–3 cm long, about 1 cm broad. Sporangia-bearing lobes narrow, protruding at margin of segments, 3–7 mm long, about 1 mm broad; indusia serrate at margin, glabrous .

Distribution in Thailand

NORTHERN: Chiang Mai, Lampang; NORTH-EASTERN: Loei; SOUTH-WESTERN: Kanchanaburi, Prachuap Khiri Khan; CENTRAL: Nakhon Nayok; SOUTH-EASTERN: Chanthaburi, Trat; PENINSULAR: Surat Thani, Trang, Songkhla, Yala, Narathiwat.

Distribution in Laos

Vientiane.

Distribution in Cambodia

Kampot, Koh Kong, Pursat.

Wider Distribution

Tropics of the Old World, from Africa to Melanesia and Australia, north to the Ryukyus and south to New South Wales.

Ecology

Climbing on bushes or on branches of tall trees, usually on dry slopes in open areas at low or medium altitudes.

IUCN Conservation Assessment

Least Concern (LC) as listed on the IUCN Red List at http://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/194153/0.

Notes

The young plants look very like Lygodium japonicum , bearing oblong -sub-deltoid pinnules to more than 5 cm in length.  Contrary to the Flora of Thailand and Flora Malesiana much of the Thai material has primary branches of less than 4 mm long.

Voucher specimens - Thailand

Middleton et al. 4783, Kanchanaburi, Thong Pha Phum National Park (E); Middleton et al. 4430, Trang, Thung Khai (E).

Voucher specimens - Laos

Tixier 08, Vientiane, That Louang (P).

Voucher specimens - Cambodia

Schnell 10074, Kampot, Elephant Mts (P); Long et al. CL536, Koh Kong (P); Martin 1005bis, Koh Kong (P); Martin 1321, Pursat, Dak Bat (P).