Hymenophyllum armstrongii
Common names
filmy fern
Biostatus
Native – Endemic taxon
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Ferns
Detailed description
Diminutive, mat-forming fern. Rhizomes long-creeping, gracile, pliant, brittle when dry. Stipes 1–10 mm long, glabrous, membranous, not winged. Laminae oblong, undivided or forked 1–2×, 5–20 × 1–3 mm, dark green with conspicuous black midribs, glabrous, margins usually black, bearing prominent spines. Sori conspicuous, terminal, slightly sunken into lamina. Indusial flaps smooth-edged. (Description adapted from Brownsey & Smith-Dodsworth (2000)).
Similar taxa
A distinctive species readily distinguished from all other filmy ferns by its small size, oblong undivided or sparingly divided, dark green fronds with dark black midrib and spiny margins, and by the slightly sunken terminal sori.
Distribution
Endemic. New Zealand: North Island, South Island, Stewart Island/Rakiura, Auckland Islands.
Habitat
Coastal to montane (in the North Island almost strictly montane), but extending to lowland and coastal areas in the western South Island and Stewart Island. Usually in closed forest where it is typically seen as a high epiphyte on tree trunks and branches often growing intermingled within epiphytic mat-forming mosses such as Macromitrium. Also found on damp rocks and cliff faces.
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
Detailed taxonomy
Family
Hymenophyllaceae
Synonyms
Craspedophyllum armstrongii (Baker) Copel.; Hymenophyllum cheesemanii var. armstrongii (Baker) Cheeseman; Hymenophyllum melanocheilos Colenso; Microtrichomanes armstrongii (Baker) Copel.; Trichomanes armstrongii Baker in Hook. et Baker; Craspedophyllum cheesemanii (Baker) N.A.Wakef.; Hymenophyllum cheesemanii Baker in 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
Difficult—should not be removed from the wild.
Other information
Where To Buy
Not commercially available
Etymology
hymenophyllum: Membranous leaf, from the Greek humen and phullon
armstrongii: Named either after Joseph Francis Armstrong (1820-1902) or his son John Beattie Armstrong (1850-1926).
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.
HYMARM
Chromosome number
2n = 26
Previous conservation statuses
2017 | Not Threatened
2012 | Not Threatened
2009 | Not Threatened
2004 | Not Threatened
Referencing and citations
References and further reading
Brownsey PJ, Smith-Dodsworth JC. 2000. New Zealand Ferns and Allied Plants. David Bateman, Auckland, NZ. 168 p.
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 (17 April 2011). Description adapted from Brownsey & Smith-Dodsworth.
NZPCN Fact Sheet citation
Please cite as: de Lange, P.J. (Year at time of access): Hymenophyllum armstrongii Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/hymenophyllum-armstrongii/ (Date website was queried)