Cheilanthes distans
Common names
woolly cloak fern, woolly rock fern
Biostatus
Native
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Ferns
Detailed description
Rupestral (rarely terrestrial) fern. Fronds up to 350 × 30 mm; stipe red-brown or dark brown, with moderately dense to dense covering of brown scales and some hairs, rachis densely covered in scales. Lamina linear, 2-pinnate or 2-pinnatifid at base and for most of length; large pinnae triangular-ovate; pinnules oblong- elliptic; margins entire or lobed; adaxially sparsely to moderately densely covered with slender, white hairs and occasional caducous scales, very rarely glabrous; abaxially sparsely to densely covered in scales and sparse white hairs. Spores spherical, granulose and ridged, with echinate ornamentation, 43–79 μm diameter, 16 per sporangium.
Similar taxa
Distinguished from Cheilanthes sieberi subsp. sieberi with which it often grows by the the stipes, rachises and primary pinnae being copiously covered in scales and hairs rather than glabrous (or nearly so).
Distribution
Indigenous. New Zealand: Kermadec Islands (Macauley Island). Manawatāwhi / Three Kings Islands, North Island, South Island (mainly easterly south to Banks Peninsula). Also Australia and New Caledonia.
Habitat
Coastal to montane in dry, rocky habitats with only sparse or no vegetation cover. Often found growing with Asplenium flabellifolium, Cheilanthes sieberi subsp. sieberi and Pellaea calidirupium. More common in the drier eastern parts of the country.
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
Pteridaceae
Synonyms
Notholaena distans R.Br.
Endemic taxon
No
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Life cycle
Minute spores are wind dispersed (Thorsen et al., 2009).
Propagation technique
Easily grown in a dry sunny site. An excellent pot plant. In ideal conditions it soon self establishes.
Other information
Etymology
cheilanthes: From the Greek kheilos ‘lip’ and anthos ‘flower’, referring to the indusium
distans: Distant (widely spaced female flowers
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.
CHEDIS
Chromosome number
2n = 116
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. Cheilanthes. Flora of Australia 48, Ferns Gymnosperms and allied groups: 271–286. ABRS/CSIRO Victoria, Australia.
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
Fact Sheet Prepared for NZPCN by P.J. de Lange (Updated 3 May 2011). Adapted from Chambers & Farrant (1998)
NZPCN Fact Sheet citation
Please cite as: de Lange, P.J. (Year at time of access): Cheilanthes distans Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/cheilanthes-distans/ (Date website was queried)