The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network

Species

Blechnum procerum

Etymology

Blechnum: From blechnon, a Greek name for a type of fern
procerum: long; from the Latin procerus

Common Name(s)

small kiokio

Current Conservation Status

2012 - Not Threatened

Conservation status of New Zealand indigenous vascular plants, 2012
The conservation status of all known New Zealand vascular plant taxa at the rank of species and below were reassessed in 2012 using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS). This report includes a statistical summary and brief notes on changes since 2009 and replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants. Authors: Peter J. de Lange, Jeremy R. Rolfe, Paul D. Champion, Shannel P. Courtney, Peter B. Heenan, John W. Barkla, Ewen K. Cameron, David A. Norton and Rodney A. Hitchmough. File size: 792KB

Previous Conservation Status

2009 - Not Threatened
2004 - Not Threatened

Authority

Blechnum procerum (G.Forst.) Sw.

Family

Blechnaceae

Flora Category

Vascular - Native

NVS Species Code

BLEPRO

Structural Class

Ferns

Synonyms

Blechnum minus sensu Allan (1961); Stegania procera (G.Forst.) R.Br.; Onoclea procera (G.Forst.) Spreng.; Osmunda procera G.Forst.; Parablechnum procerum (G.Forst.) C.Presl; Lomaria duplicata Potts; Lomaria latifolia Colenso; Lomaria procera (G.Forst.) Spreng.; Asplenium procerum (G.Forst.) Bernh.; Blechnopteris procera (G.Forst.) Trevis; Blechnum minus sensu Allan

Distribution

Endemic. New Zealand: North, South, Stewart, Chatham and subantarctic Islands from about Mangamuka Forest south. Becoming more common heading south and reaching sea level in the more southerly part of its range

Habitat

Coastal to subalpine (montane to subalpine in northern part of range). Common in mixed forest, subalpine scrub and tussock grassland.

Features

Rhizome short-creeping; scales to 16 × 2 mm wide, lanceolate, acute or acuminate, brown some bicolorous, entire. Fronds dimorphic, erect, 0.08—1.0 m long, 45-220 mm wide, widest mid frond; fertile fronds longer and more erect than sterile fronds. Stipes 20-600 mm (stipes up to 180 mm for plants growing in tussock communities, 150-250 for plants growing in open, shaded forest, and up to 0.6 m where plants are competing with a dense ground layer in the forest); stipes of sterile fronds shorter than stipes of fertile fronds, 1-4 mm diameter, stramineous to dark brown, becoming darker reddish brown towards the base; stipes scaly when young, often glabrous at maturity; scales 2-10 mm long, 0.5-1.5 mm wide, mostly lanceolate, brown, reddish brown, or somewhat bicolorous with paler margins, entire. Lamina ovate or lanceolate, dark olive green at maturity, 1-pinnate, 2—15 pairs of pinnae (plants suboptimal sites occasionally have as few as 1 terminal and 2 lateral, membranous pinnae), fertile laminae with more pinnae than sterile laminae. Rachis and costae dark, reddish, or pale brown (usually pale for specimens from open tussock communities), often blotchy; with sparse to numerous scales (fertile lamina with a more scaly rachis) and some small irregular hairs; scales variable in size, shape, and colour, 3.0-10.0 × 0.5-1.0 mm, linear to lanceolate, attenuate, more or less entire; conspicuous abaxial costal scales 2.0-3.5 mm long, c. 1 mm wide, of small narrow linear cells, lanceolate, attenuate, shiny dark reddish brown, concolorous or sometimes slightly bicolorous with paler margins (but lacking a "black-spot"), more or less entire. Sterile pinnae 25-150 × 10-35 mm, oblong-lanceolate, apices obtuse to acute, rounded or truncate at rachis; shortly petiolate at base of lamina, basiscopically adnate towards apex; coriaceous in robust specimens to almost membranous in small plants; margins toothed and sometimes crenate; veins simple or once-furcate; small toothed scales often extending on to lower surface of pinnae; basal pinnae as long or slightly 10-35 mm, oblong-lanceolate, apices obtuse to acute, rounded or truncate at rachis; shortly petiolate at base of lamina, basiscopically adnate towards apex; coriaceous in robust specimens to almost membranous in small plants; margins toothed and sometimes crenate; veins simple or once-furcate; small toothed scales often extending on to lower surface of pinnae; basal pinnae as long or slightly shorter than middle pinnae, rarely less than half their length, more obtuse, often reflexed, auricles and auriculate pinnae bases absent; terminal pinna usually longer and acutely pointed. Fertile pinnae 20.0- 75.0 × 2.0-4.5 mm, linear, shortly petiolate at base of lamina, becoming basiscopically adnate towards apex; basal pinnae usually not reduced; sori covering under surface except at apices; indusium brown, laciniate or entire; spores 56-70 × 39-52 µm.

Similar Taxa

Blechnum procerum is most similar to B. montanum, with which it sometimes hybridises. From B. montanum B. procerum is distinguished by the usually fewer, blunter pinnae, basal pinnae which are not reduced. The pinnae of Blechnum montanum are usually attenuate and falcate, and "black-spot" scales are present.

Flowering

Not applicable - spore producing

Flower Colours

No Flowers

Fruiting

Not applicable - spore producing

Propagation Technique

Easily grown from fresh spores and whole plants. transplants well and flourishes in most conditions but does best in a shaded site, planted in a fertile, permanently moist soil. Dislikes drought.

Threats

Not Threatened

Chromosome No.

2n = 112

Endemic Taxon

Yes

Endemic Genus

No

Endemic Family

No

Life Cycle and Dispersal

Minute spores are wind dispersed (Thorsen et al., 2009).

This page last updated on 2 Mar 2016