Austroblechnum penna-marina subsp. alpina
Common names
little hard fern, alpine hard fern
Biostatus
Native
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Ferns
Flower colours
No flowers
Detailed description
Rhizome creeping. Fronds dimorphic, 40–120 × 6–12 mm. Stipe 15–200 mm long, dark red-brown at base, usually becoming stramineous towards lamina; scales somewhat bullate, linear to ovate, entire, red-brown. Lamina lanceolate, pinnate, with 4–34 pairs of pinnae; rachis and costae stramineous; scales mainly on lower surface, small, sparse, acuminate, entire, brown to red-brown; sterile pinnae oblong-obtuse or somewhat triangular, 3.5–8.0 × 2.0–4.2 mm, adnate with broad bases, contiguous; margins entire; basal pinnae shorter, rounder; fertile pinnae linear and somewhat falcate, 3.6–6.8 × 1.0–2.5 mm.
Similar taxa
None. Easily recognised by the small size, narrow sterile fronds; erect, narrow fertile fronds, and extensively creeping, turf-forming habit.
Distribution
Indigenous. New Zealand: North Island (scarce north of the Bay of Plenty and Waikato), South Island, Stewart Island/Rakiura, Chatham Islands, Antipodes Islands, Auckland Islands and Campbell Island/Motu Ihupuku. Also Macaquarie Island, Australia, South America and several other circum-Antarctic islands.
Habitat
Coastal to alpine (mostly montane to alpine in the northern part of range) in open forest, subalpine scrub, grassland, alpine herbfield, turf (including coastal turf) and in moss field on the shaded sites of rock outcrops.
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.
Please note, threat classifications are often suggested by authors when publications fall between NZTCS assessment periods – these interim threat classification statuses has not been assessed by the NZTCS panel.
- 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 | Qualifiers: SO
Detailed taxonomy
Family
Blechnaceae
Synonyms
Struthiopteris distans (Colenso) Ching; Lomaria pumila Raoul; Spicanta pumila (Raoul) Kuntze; Stegania alpina R.Br.; Lomaria distans Colenso; Lomaria linearis Colenso; Lomaria parvifolia Colenso; Blechnum hillii C.Chr.; Blechnum parvifolium (Colenso) C.Chr.; Lomaria alpina (R.Br.) Spreng.; Blechnum alpinum (R.Br.) Mett.; Blechnum penna-marina subsp. alpina (R.Br.) T.C.Chambers et P.A.Farrant
Taxonomic notes
Perrie et al. (2014) advocated for a broadened circumscription of Blechnaceae whereby a number of genera traditionally recognized as distinct from Blechnum were merged within it. However, this view has not met with universal acceptance (see de Gasper et al. 2016) and does not seem to be followed worldwide (PPG 2016). From a New Zealand perspective the decision to merge Doodia in Blechnum, and rejection of Diploblechnum has not been universally accepted either e.g., Wilcox & Warden (2017), and as such it is considered appropriate to follow world opinion and accept the taxonomy of de Gasper et al. (2016) and recommendations of the PPG (2016). See also the comments by Pyner (2017).
Endemic taxon
No
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
N.A.
Fruiting
N.A.
Propagation technique
Easily grown from spores and by the dviison of established plants. Does well in shade or the open but prefers a damp soil. An excellent ground cover fern.
Wetland plant indicator status rating
Information derived from the revised national wetland plant list prepared to assist councils in delineating and monitoring wetlands (Clarkson et al., 2021 Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research Contract Report LC3975 for Hawke’s Bay Regional Council). The national plant list categorises plants by the extent to which they are found in wetlands and not ‘drylands’. The indicator status ratings are OBL (obligate wetland), FACW (facultative wetland), FAC (facultative), FACU (facultative upland), and UPL (obligate upland). If you have suggestions for the Wetland Indicator Status Rating, please contact: [Enable JavaScript to view protected content]
FAC: Facultative
Commonly occurs as either a hydrophyte or non-hydrophyte (non-wetlands).
Other information
Etymology
penna-marina: Sea-pen; from the Latin penna and marinus, like the polyp ‘sea-pen’
alpina: From the Latin alpes ‘the Alps’, refers to plants growing in mountainous areas
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.
BLEPEN
Chromosome number
2n = 66
Previous conservation statuses
2017 | Not Threatened | Qualifiers: SO
2012 | Not Threatened
2009 | Not Threatened
2004 | Not Threatened
Referencing and citations
References and further reading
Chambers TC, Farrant PA. 1998. Blechnaceae. Flora of Australia 48, Ferns Gymnosperms and allied groups: 359–384. ABRS/CSIRO Victoria, Australia.
Gasper AL, de Oliveira Dittrich VA, Smith AR, Salino A. 2016. A classification for Blechnaceae (Polypodiales: Polypodiopsida): New genera, resurrected names, and combinations. Phytotaxa 275: 191–227. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.275.3.1.
Perrie LR, Wilson RK, Shepherd LD, Ohlsen DJ, Batty EL, Brownsey PJ, Bayly MJ. 2014. Molecular phylogenetics and generic taxonomy of Blechnaceae ferns. Taxon 63(4): 745–758. https://doi.org/10.12705/634.13.
PPG 1: The Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group 2016. A community-derived classification for extant lycophytes and ferns. Journal of Systematics and Evolution 54: 563–603. https://doi.org/10.1111/jse.12229.
Pyner T. 2017. A new classification of Blechnum. British Pteridological Society. https://ebps.org.uk/new-classification-blechnum/. Accessed [INSERT DATE ACCESSED].
Wilcox M, Warden J. 2017. Botany of Hillsborough coast bush reserves, Manukau Harbour, Auckland. Auckland Botanical Society Journal 72: 32–46.
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared for NZPCN by P.J. de Lange (19 September 2012). Description adapted from Chambers & Farrant (1998)
NZPCN Fact Sheet citation
Please cite as: de Lange, P.J. (Year at time of access): Austroblechnum penna-marina subsp. alpina Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/austroblechnum-penna-marina-subsp-alpina/ (Date website was queried)