Hymenophyllum malingii
Past favourite plant finalist
Common names
filmy fern
Biostatus
Native – Endemic taxon
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Ferns
Detailed description
Epiphytic (rarely rupestral) fern forming dense to diffuse pendulous patches. Rhizomes long-creeping, gracile, rather brittle. Stipes 30–100 mm long, thin, brittle, not winged, densely covered in grey-red stellate hairs, rachises not winged. Laminae narrowly ovate or linear, 2–3-pinnate, greyish white to red-brown, 30–200 × 5–30 mm, all parts densely invested by stellate hairs, the adaxially grey and abaxially red-brown. Ultimate segments linear, rigid, tubular (round in cross-section), margins smooth. Sori terminating ultimate segments. Indusial flaps densely hairy.
Similar taxa
Easily recognised by its peculiar preference for the trunks of usually dead or dying kaikawaka, narrow, grey-white to red-brown colour, and by the narrow, tubular ultimate segments which are densely covered in grey or red-brown stellate hairs.
Distribution
Endemic. North Island and South Island from Te Moehau and Mt Pirongia south throughout the western parts of the South Island, and also around Dunedin.
Habitat
Montane to subalpine. Usually on the dead or dying trunks of kaikawaka (Libocedrus bidwillii) but also occasionally found on Hall’s totara (Podocarpus laetus), rimu (Dacrydium cupressinum), Halocarpus biformis, beech (Fuscospora and Lophozonia spp.) and on moss covered boulders, 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.
- 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
Apteropteris malingii(Hook.) Copel.; Sphaerocionium malingii (Hook.) K. Iwats.; Trichomanes malingii Hook.
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
Plant of the Month
This plant has been featured as a Plant of the Month – see Trilepidea: NZPCN newsletter for January 2014 for the full story.
Etymology
hymenophyllum: Membranous leaf, from the Greek humen and phullon
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.
HYMMAL
Chromosome number
2n = 72
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, 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 (18 April 2011). Description adapted from Brownsey & Smith-Dodsworth (2000).
NZPCN Fact Sheet citation
Please cite as: de Lange, P.J. (Year at time of access): Hymenophyllum malingii Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/hymenophyllum-malingii/ (Date website was queried)