Pteris epaleata
Biostatus
Native
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Ferns
Detailed description
Rhizomes erect, scaly. Rhizome scales narrowly ovate, 7–8 mm long, c. 2 mm wide, pale brown, concolorous, lacking marginal projections. Fronds 0.77–1.74(–2.50) m long. Stipes 0.40–1.03–(1.40) m long, 6–11 mm diameter near the base, purplish-brown, red-brown or chestnut-brown proximally, yellow-brown or chestnut-brown distally, occasionally with scattered scales proximally. Rachises yellow-brown or chestnut-brown, adaxially sulcate, glabrous. Laminae 3–4-pinnate-pinnatifid at base, broadly ovate, 0.33–0.75–(1.10) × 0.30–1.00 m wide, dark green and dull adaxially, paler abaxially, herbaceous, bearing multicellular hairs and occasionally hair-like linear scales 2–3–(4) cells broad on the costae; veins anastomosing. Primary pinnae in 5–11 pairs below pinnatifid apex, overlapping; the longest at or near the base, 120–580 × 120–280 mm wide, elliptic or narrowly to broadly ovate, straight; pinna apices acute to acuminate, bases long-stalked. Longest secondary pinnae 100–270 × 50–150 mm wide, usually narrowly ovate, sometimes ovate, subopposite at base becoming alternate toward apex of primary pinnae, longest at base to midway along primary pinnae and then becoming gradually smaller toward apex, apices acute to acuminate, bases adnate or stalked. Longest tertiary segments 15–90 × 5–30 mm wide, elliptic, ovate or oblong; apices acute to obtuse, margins crenate, serrate or divided to more than halfway, bases adnate or shortly stalked. Quaternary segments to 22 mm long, 2–9 mm wide, oblong to triangular, apices acute to obtuse, margins crenate, serrate or divided to more than halfway, bases adnate, occasionally with further divisions to 4 mm long, 1–3 mm wide; ultimate segments 1.0–5.5 mm wide. Sori elongated along margins of the ultimate segments, with paraphyses among sporangia; indusia 0.35–0.55 mm wide. Spores 25–35 μm in polar diameter, 35.0–47.5 μm in equatorial diameter.
Similar taxa
Pteris epaleata differs from P. carsei by characters of the indumentum and frond division. The indumentum on the abaxial side of the rachis, costae and costules in Pteris epaleata comprises uniseriate hairs or sometimes occasional linear scales that are 2–3–(4) cells broad at the base. In Pteris carsei, the rachis and costae have uniseriate hairs and some triangular scales that are several cells wide at the base. Pteris epaleata can be further distinguished from the other species that have been included in P. comans by its more divided fronds that are at least 3-pinnate throughout the lower half of the frond and 3-pinnate-pinnatifid at the base, with the segments adnate to the rachis near the apex being pinnatifid. As such it resembles P. tremula, which differs by having free venation. Pteris epaleata can be further distinguished from P. carsei and from P. macilenta and P. saxatilis by its dull adaxial frond surface. Pteris carsei also usually has broader ultimate segments (4–28 mm wide) than P. epaleata (1.0–5.5 mm wide) and P. carsei in New Zealand is usually confined to coastal areas (on Raoul Island it extends to 500 m.a.s.l.), whereas P. epaleata can extend further inland, including into mountainous areas.
Distribution
Indigenous. Australia (south-east Queensland south to Tasmania), New Zealand (Fiordland)
Habitat
In Australia reported from from sea-level to around 1100 m a.s.l. within subtropical to cool-temperate rainforest and wet-sclerophyll forests, where it usually is found along creeks or muddy drainage lines, but sometimes also at the base of cliffs or on outcrops in areas of water seepage. New Zealand occurrences are from coastal to lowland forest stations in Fiordland. However, information on this species’ ecology and associations there are not well known.
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 | Data Deficient | Qualifiers: SO
Threats
Ohlsen et al. (2020) suggest a provisional assessment of ‘Data Deficient’ for the New Zealand occurrences of Pteris epaleata and this was ratified by the New Zealand Indigenous Vascular Plant Threat Listing panel in 2023.
Detailed taxonomy
Family
Pteridaceae
Synonyms
None. First described in 2020 (Ohlsen et al. 2020).
Endemic taxon
No
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Propagation technique
Not known from cultivation in New Zealand.
Other information
Etymology
pteris: A fern known to the ancient Greeks; from the Greek pteris
epaleata: Epaleata means ‘without scales’
Previous conservation status
Not Evaluated
Referencing and citations
References and further reading
Ohlsen DJ, Brownsey PJ, Shepherd LD, Perrie LR, May EL, Cheng-Wei C, Bayly MJ. 2020. Pteris epaleata, a new fern species from Australia and New Zealand segregated from P. comans (Pteridaceae). Muelleria 39: 17–26.
Attribution
Prepared by P.J. de Lange for NZPCN, 4 October 2020. Description from Ohlsen et al. (2020).
NZPCN Fact Sheet citation
Please cite as: de Lange, P.J. (Year at time of access): Pteris epaleata Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/pteris-epaleata/ (Date website was queried)