Polystichum cystostegia
Common name
mountain shield fern
Synonyms
Aspidium cystostegia Hook.; Dryopteris cystostegia (Hook.) Kuntze; Polystichum cystostegia
Family
Dryopteridaceae
Flora category
Vascular – Native
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Structural class
Ferns
NVS code
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.
POLCYS
Chromosome number
2n = 164
Current conservation status
The conservation status of all known New Zealand vascular plant taxa at the rank of species and below were reassessed in 2017 using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS) – more information about this can be found on the NZTCS website. This report includes a statistical summary and brief notes on changes since 2012 and replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants.
Please note, threat classifications are often suggested by authors when publications fall between NZTCS assessment periods – an interim threat classification status has not been assessed by the NZTCS panel.
- Conservation status of New Zealand indigenous vascular plants, 2017 . 2018. Peter J. de Lange, Jeremy R. Rolfe, John W. Barkla, Shannel P. Courtney, Paul D. Champion, Leon R. Perrie, Sarah M. Beadel, Kerry A. Ford, Ilse Breitwieser, Ines Schönberger, Rowan Hindmarsh-Walls, Peter B. Heenan and Kate Ladley. Department of Conservation. Source: NZTCS and licensed by DOC for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.
2017 | Not Threatened
Previous conservation statuses
2012 | Not Threatened
2009 | Not Threatened
2004 | Not Threatened
Flower colours
No flowers
Etymology
polystichum: Many rows (of sori); from the Greek polus and stikhos; parallel rows of spore cases
cystostegia: Bladder cover (indusium)
ORTHOGRAPHY
The orthography of the species epithet has varied from “cystostegia” to “cystostegium”. The International Plant Names Database has resolved the matter, with the preference for “cystostegia” thus:
“Polystichum cystostegia (Hook.) J.B.Armstr.
Trans. & Proc. New Zealand Inst. 13: 364. 1880 [Apr 1881] (as ‘cystostigium’)
Remarks: The epithet “cystostegia” is a noun in apposition. Etymology: Greek cystis, bladder, sac, and stegos, roof, lid [Basionym protologue: ‘the involucres are unlike those of any other species, being singularly thin and membranaceous, covering the sori with a large (in proportion to the size of the plant) hemispherical peltate bladdery lid.’]’