Hymenophyllum pulcherrimum
Common names
tufted filmy fern
Biostatus
Native – Endemic taxon
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Ferns
Detailed description
Tufted mostly epiphytic fern. Rhizomes erect, short-creeping, sparsely to densely covered in red, bristly hairs. Stipes 30–150 mm long, rather stout, glabrescent; stipes and rachises winged almost to base, wing thickness variable for entire length. Fronds pendulous, pale green, glabrous. Laminae 100–400–(600) × 40–150 mm. ovate, narrowly elliptic to elliptic, 3–4-pinnate. Ultimate segments oblong, undulose (weakly to strongly so), margins smooth. Sori arising on short branches near the ends of the ultimate segments; many on each primary pinna. Involucre ovoid to ellipsoid; indusial flaps entire.
Similar taxa
Easily recognised by the tufted growth habit, large pendulous pale green, glabrous, crinkly (wavy) fronds, and by the smooth margins of the stipe and rachis wing and smooth pinnae margins.
Distribution
Endemic. New Zealand: North Island (from Te Moehau and Mt Pirongia south), South Island, Stewart Island/Rakiura, Auckland Islands.
Habitat
Lowland to montane (mostly montane in the northern part of its range), in closed forest. Usually epiphytic, rarely found growing on rocks.
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
Mecodium pulcherrimum (Colenso) Copel.
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
pulcherrimum: Very beautiful; from the Latin pulcherrimus
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.
HYMPUL
Chromosome number
2n = 22
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 (20 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 pulcherrimum Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/hymenophyllum-pulcherrimum/ (Date website was queried)