Hymenophyllum minimum
Common names
filmy fern
Biostatus
Native
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Ferns
Detailed description
Diminutive, compact, dense turf-forming fern. Rhizomes long-creeping, very slender and thin, much branched and interwoven. Fronds bright emerald green. Stipes 3–8 mm long, very thin; stipes and rachises not winged, glabrous. Laminae round to elliptic, pinnate, 5–15 × 5–10 mm, glabrous. Pinnae in 1–5 pairs, margins prominently toothed. Sori solitary and terminating rachis, pedunculate. Indusial flaps toothed, abaxially spiny. (Description adapted from Brownsey & Smith-Dodsworth (2000)).
Similar taxa
Recognised by its small stature, bright green colour, prominently toothed pinnae, solitary, stalked (pedunculate) sori terminating the rachises, and by the toothed indusial flaps whose outer (abaxial) surfaces are covered in spines.
Distribution
Endemic. North Island (from the upper Kauaeranga Valley (near Thames) and Mt Pirongia south), South Island, Stewart Island/Rakiura, Chatham Islands, Antipodes Islands, Auckland Islands.
Habitat
Coastal to montane (usually montane in northern part of range). A common species of shaded rock faces, cliffs, overhangs, and boulder and talus slopes—sometimes in places subjected to salt spray. Often in rather open sites and in places that often dry out for protracted periods of time. Very rarely found growing as an epiphyte.
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
Mecodium minimum (A. Rich.) Copel.; Hymenophyllum pygmaeum Colenso
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Life cycle
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
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.
HYMMIN
Chromosome number
2n=72
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 (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 minimum Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/hymenophyllum-minimum/ (Date website was queried)