Parablechnum minus
Common names
swamp kiokio
Biostatus
Native
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 | Qualifiers: SO
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Ferns
Flower colours
No flowers
Detailed description
Rhizome creeping to erect. Fronds dimorphic, 0.10–1.65 × 0.025–0.42 m. Stipe 20–330 mm long, stramineous to red-brown, darkening towards the base; scales cordate to linear, acuminate to subulate, entire to slightly dentate, brown to red-brown, often darker at the base of the scale. Lamina lanceolate to ovate, pinnate, with 3–37 pairs of pinnae; rachis and costae stramineous, brown to red-brown, scaly; scales linear, subulate, entire to somewhat dentate, stramineous to dark red-brown (rarely with broad cordate bases); sterile pinnae narrowly oblong with acute apices, 15–220 × 5–17 mm, shortly stalked towards lamina base, basiscopically adnate and sometimes winged at apex; margins finely serrate; basal pinnae aurciulate; fertile pinnae 0.06–0.21 m long, 1.5–5.0 mm wide; lowest pinnae with expanded sterile segments at rachis.
Similar taxa
Parablechnum minus is superficially similar to the much larger P. novae-zelandiae. Parablechnum minus is most reliably distinguished from P. novae-zelandiae by the smaller, delicate fronds bearing fewer pairs of narrower, widely spaced pinnae with distinctly rounded ends, further, the scales of P. minus are uniformly pale brown, never black-spotted. Nevertheless Chambers & Farrant (1998a) did not accept P. minus (as Blechnum minus) for New Zealand attributing plants such as that described here to depauperate P. novae-zelandiae. While it is plausible that some New Zealand plants attributed to Parablechnum minus are stressed states of P. novae-zelandiae, the majority are not, and their condition is retained by cultivation and from specimens raised by spores.
Distribution
Indigenous. New Zealand: North Island, South Island, Chatham Islands. Also Australia from where it was first described.
Habitat
Coastal to lower montane in swampy ground within swamp forest, wetlands and along the margins of freshwater lakes, streams and rivers.
Detailed taxonomy
Genus
Family
Synonyms
Lomaria capensis var. minor (R.Br.) Cheeseman; Lomaria procera var. gracilis Colenso; Lomaria procera var. minor (R.Br.) Hook.f.; Lomaria minor (R.Br.) Spreng.; Stegania minor R.Br.; Blechnum capense var. minus (R.Br.) Domin; Blechnum minus (R.Br.) Ettingsh.
Taxonomic notes
Perrie et al. (2014) advocated for a broadened circumscription of Blechnaceae whereby a number of genera traditionally recognised as distinct from Blechnum were merged within it. However, this view has not met with universal acceptance (see Gasper et al. 2016) and does not seem to be followed worldwide (PPG 2016). From a New Zealand perspective the decision to merge Doodia in Blechnum, and rejection of Diploblechnum has not been universally accepted either e.g., Wilcox & Warden (2017), and as such it is considered appropriate to follow world opinion and accept the taxonomy of Gasper et al. (2016) and recommendations of the PPG (2016). See also comments by Pyner (2017).
Endemic taxon
No
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
N.A.
Fruiting
N.A
Propagation technique
Easily grown from spores, division of established plants and by transplants. Although it does best in full sun planted within a permanently damp soil, it also can be grown in shade and also on dry soils.
Wetland plant indicator status rating
Information derived from the revised national wetland plant list prepared to assist councils in delineating and monitoring wetlands (Clarkson et al., 2021 Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research Contract Report LC3975 for Hawke’s Bay Regional Council). The national plant list categorises plants by the extent to which they are found in wetlands and not ‘drylands’. The indicator status ratings are OBL (obligate wetland), FACW (facultative wetland), FAC (facultative), FACU (facultative upland), and UPL (obligate upland). If you have suggestions for the Wetland Indicator Status Rating, please contact: [Enable JavaScript to view protected content]
FACW: Facultative Wetland
Usually is a hydrophyte but occasionally found in uplands (non-wetlands).
Other information
Etymology
minus: Small; from the Latin minor
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.
BLEMIN
Chromosome number
2n = 56
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 | Qualifiers: SO
2012 | Not Threatened
2009 | Not Threatened
2004 | Not Threatened
Regional conservation statuses
Auckland: 2025 | Regionally At Risk – Regionally Declining | Qualifiers: DPR, DPS, DPT, DE, PF, RR, SO
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 Not Threatened
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
Chambers TC, Farrant PA. 1998a. The Blechnum procerum (“capense”) (Blechnaceae) complex in New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Botany 36(1): 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/0028825X.1998.9512544.
Chambers TC, Farrant PA. 1998b. Blechnaceae. Flora of Australia 48, Ferns Gymnosperms and allied groups: 359–384. ABRS/CSIRO Victoria, Australia.
Gasper AL, de Oliveira Dittrich VA, Smith AR, Salino A. 2016. A classification for Blechnaceae (Polypodiales: Polypodiopsida): New genera, resurrected names, and combinations. Phytotaxa 275: 191–227. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.275.3.1.
Perrie LR, Wilson RK, Shepherd LD, Ohlsen DJ, Batty EL, Brownsey PJ, Bayly MJ. 2014. Molecular phylogenetics and generic taxonomy of Blechnaceae ferns. Taxon 63(4): 745–758. https://doi.org/10.12705/634.13.
PPG 1: The Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group 2016. A community-derived classification for extant lycophytes and ferns. Journal of Systematics and Evolution 54: 563–603. https://doi.org/10.1111/jse.12229.
Pyner T. 2017. A new classification of Blechnum. British Pteridological Society. https://ebps.org.uk/new-classification-blechnum/. Accessed [INSERT DATE ACCESSED].
Wilcox M, Warden J. 2017. Botany of Hillsborough coast bush reserves, Manukau Harbour, Auckland. Auckland Botanical Society Journal 72: 32–46.
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared for NZPCN by P.J. de Lange (19 September 2012). Description adapted Chambers & Farrant (1998b)
NZPCN Fact Sheet citation
Please cite as: de Lange, P.J. (Year at time of access): Parablechnum minus Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/parablechnum-minus/ (Date website was queried)