Asplenium lyallii
Common names
Lyall’s spleenwort
Biostatus
Native – Endemic taxon
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Ferns
Detailed description
Rhizome stout, ascending, bearing brown subulate to narrowly triangular scales up to 25 × 2 mm. Stipes 30–200 mm long, pale brown at base and on underside, green elsewhere, covered with scales similar to but smaller than those of the rhizome. Laminae lanceolate to elliptic, 40–400 × 20–200 mm, dark shiny green to dull grey-green, pinnate to bipinnate. Raches normally green, occasionally brown on the underside, often grooved, scaly. Pinnae 2–16 pairs, ovate to narrowly oblong, obtuse to acuminate, serrate to ± entire, stalked, 10–100 × 5–50 mm, often covered on both surfaces with tiny scales. Lowermost pinnae usually at least partially lobed or divided at the base, sometimes completely pinnate; pinnules stalked, lanceolate to elliptic, obtuse, serrate to entire, up to 30 × 15 mm. Sori up to 10 mm long, not reaching lamina edge.
Similar taxa
Asplenium lyallii is rather variable and segregates into two distinct frond forms. The first of these, once known as A. anomodum Colenso, is almost exclusively associated with calcareous rocks and soils and has fronds < 30 mm wide, not thick and fleshy; pinnae often with scales on both surfaces; the second is more widespread in coastal to alpine situations, though always on base-rich rocks and has fronds that are 2- or more pinnate, but lack bulbils; are dull above; and without a creeping rhizome. The sori of both forms is consistently remote from margin, and 4–10 mm long.
Distribution
Endemic. New Zealand: North Island (from Port Waikato south to Wellington), South Island (North-west Nelson otherwise mainly eastern), Stewart Island/Rakiura, Chatham Islands.
Habitat
Coastal to alpine. A basicole favouring base rich substrates but especially calcareous rocks (limestone and marble) and basalt rock. In tall forest, scrub or on exposed rock surfaces. Often present in cave entrances.
Current conservation status
The conservation status of all known New Zealand vascular plant taxa at the rank of species and below were reassessed in 2022-2023 using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS) – more information about this can be found on the NZTCS website. This report includes replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants. Previous assessments can be found here.
- Conservation status of vascular plants in Aotearoa New Zealand, 2023. 2024. Peter J. de Lange, Jane Gosden, Shannel P. Courtney, Alexander J. Fergus, John W. Barkla, Sarah M. Beadel, Paul D. Champion, Rowan Hindmarsh-Walls, Troy Makan and Pascale Michel Department of Conservation. Source: NZTCS and licensed by DOC for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.
2023 | Not Threatened
Detailed taxonomy
Family
Synonyms
Asplenium anomodum Colenso; Asplenium bulbiferum var. triste (Raoul) Hook.f.; Asplenium lucidum var. anomodum (Colenso) Cheeseman; Asplenium obtusatum var. anomodum (Colenso) Domin; Asplenium obtusatum var. lyallii G.M.Thomson; Asplenium triste Raoul; Asplenium lucidum var. lyallii Hook.f.
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Life cycle and dispersal
Minute spores are wind dispersed (Thorsen et al., 2009).
Propagation technique
Although rather slow growing this is a very attractive species which is excellent in a pot or on a shaded rock wall.
Other information
Etymology
asplenium: From the Greek a- ‘without’ and splene ‘spleen’, a northern hemisphere species, the black spleenwort (Asplenium adiantum-nigrum), was once believed to be a cure for diseases of the spleen.
lyallii: Named after David Lyall (1817-1895), 19th century Scottish naturalist and surgeon with the Royal Navy, who explored Antarctica, New Zealand, the Arctic and North America and was a lifelong friend of Sir Joseph Hooker.
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.
ASPLYA
Chromosome number
2n = 288
Previous conservation statuses
The conservation status of all known New Zealand vascular plant taxa at the rank of species and below were reassessed in 2022-2023 using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS) – more information about this can be found on the NZTCS website. This report includes replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants. Previous assessments can be found here.
- Conservation status of vascular plants in Aotearoa New Zealand, 2023. 2024. Peter J. de Lange, Jane Gosden, Shannel P. Courtney, Alexander J. Fergus, John W. Barkla, Sarah M. Beadel, Paul D. Champion, Rowan Hindmarsh-Walls, Troy Makan and Pascale Michel Department of Conservation. Source: NZTCS and licensed by DOC for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.
2017 | Not Threatened
2012 | Not Threatened
2009 | Not Threatened
2004 | Not Threatened
Regional conservation statuses
The regional threat classification system leverages off the national assessments in the NZTCS, providing information relevant for the regional context. Otago conservation status information is sourced from the “Regional conservation status of indigenous vascular plants in Otago” Jarvie S et al. (2024) report.
Otago: 2024 | Regionally Not Threatened
Referencing and citations
References and further reading
Brownsey PJ. 1977. A taxonomic revision of the New Zealand species of Asplenium. New Zealand Journal of Botany 15(1): 39–86. https://doi.org/10.1080/0028825X.1977.10429618.
Thorsen MJ, Dickinson KJM, Seddon PJ. 2009. Seed dispersal systems in the New Zealand flora. Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics 11: 285–309. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ppees.2009.06.001.
Attribution
Description from Brownsey (1977).