Notogrammitis ciliata
Common names
strapfern
Biostatus
Native – Endemic taxon
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
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Ferns
Detailed description
Terrestrial, rupestral (or rarely a low epiphyte) fern. Rhizome erect to short-creeping; paleae light brown, lanceolate or rarely lanceolate-ovate,acute, rarely obtuse, 1.8–4.8 × 0.25–0.75 mm. Stipe indistinct, winged almost to base; stipe hairs whitish to pale red-brown, sparse to abundant, (0.2)–0.6–1.7 mm long. Lamina linear-oblanceolate, acute, (17)–23–55–(95) × (2.0)–2.4–4.4–(6.0) mm; lamina hairs whitish to pale red-brown, sparse to common except in sori where usually abundant and sometimes longer than those elsewhere on the lamina, sometimes absent except in sori, (0.3)–0.6–1.5–(2.0) mm long, lacking shorter abundant marginal hairs as in N. pseudociliata; texture thinly coriaceous; veins ± visible to visible in transmitted light, sometimes raised on upper surface in dried specimens, vein endings not darkened; midrib raised on lower surface, usually darker than lamina. Sori subglobose to oblong, oblique or nearly parallel to midrib, sometimes nearly covering frond under-surface when mature, in middle or middle and upper part of frond, (1)–4–16 pairs, 1.0–4.0 × 1.0–1.5 mm; soral vein not extending beyond sorus, usually shorter than basiscopic vein, neither reaching the margin. Sporangia (150)–166.4–207.0–(260) μm long; indurated cells of annulus (9.0)–10.8–13.0–(16.0). Spores (19.0)–24.0–27.8–(33.0) μm diameter.
Similar taxa
Notogrammitis ciliata is recognised by the lamina being < 100 mm long (mostly 25–45 × 2.5–4.5 mm) and bearing scattered marginal hairs which are of comparable length to those in the sorus (the soral hairs in this species are > 0.5 mm, slender, and never hooked). Irrespective, Notogrammitis ciliata remains a very variable species with distinct races which may yet deserve taxonomic segregation.
Distribution
Endemic. New Zealand: North Island, South Island.
Habitat
Coastal to montane, usually terrestrial on damp earth and clay banks, or rupestral, less commonly epiphytic on both dead and living trees (often on exposed roots and buttresses) in closed forest overlying mostly older sedimentary and metamorphic rocks and volcanics
Detailed taxonomy
Genus
Family
Synonyms
Grammitis ciliata Colenso; Polypodium australe var. villosum (Hook.f.) Cheeseman; Polypodium australe var. ciliata (Colenso) Kirk; Polypodium billardierei var. villosum (Hook.f.) Cheeseman; Polypodium paradoxum Colenso; Grammitis australis var. villosa Hook.f.
Taxonomic notes
The New Zealand species of Grammitis along with Ctenopteris heterophylla and one Australian Grammitis (G. garrettii) one Lord Howe (G. diminuta) and one species endemic to the Moluccas and Indonesian (G. kairatuensis) have traditionally been placed in Grammitis (Parris & Given 1976; Parris 1998). However, these species (with the exception of G. diminuta, G. kairatuensis and G. stenophylla; B.S.Parris pers. comm. to P.J. de Lange January 2011) have now been transferred to a new genus, Notogrammitis Parris (Perrie & Parris 2012).
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
Etymology
notogrammitis: From the Greek noto- ‘southern’ and gramma ‘line’, referring to this new genus of southern strap ferns which were previously in Grammitis.
ciliata: From the Latin cilia ‘eyelash’, meaning fringed with hairs
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.
NOTCIL
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
Auckland: 2025 | Regionally Not Threatened | Qualifiers: DPS, DPT
The regional threat classification system leverages off the national assessments in the NZTCS, providing information relevant for the regional context. Auckland conservation status information is sourced from the “Conservation status of vascular plant species in Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland” Simpkins E et al. (2025) report.
Otago: 2025 | Regionally At Risk – Regionally Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: DPR, DPS, DPT, NR, NS, OL, Sp
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 “Conservation Status of Indigenous Vascular Plants in Otago, 2025” Jarvie S et al. (2025) report.
Referencing and citations
References and further reading
Parris BS. 1998. Grammitidaceae. Flora of Australia 48, Ferns Gymnosperms and allied groups: 450–468. ABRS/CSIRO Victoria, Australia.
Parris BS, Given DR. 1976. A taxonomic revision of Grammitis Sw. (Grammitidaceae: Filicales) in New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Botany 14(1): 85–111. https://doi.org/10.1080/0028825X.1976.10428655.
Perrie LR, Parris BS. 2012. Chloroplast DNA sequences indicate the grammitid ferns (Polypodiaceae) in New Zealand belong to a single clade, Notogrammitis gen. nov. New Zealand Journal of Botany 50(4): 457–472. https://doi.org/10.1080/0028825X.2012.735247.
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 25 April 2011). Description from Parris & Given (1976).
NZPCN Fact Sheet citation
Please cite as: de Lange, P.J. (Year at time of access): Notogrammitis ciliata Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/notogrammitis-ciliata/ (Date website was queried)