| Hypolepis ambigua | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Division: | Polypodiophyta |
| Class: | Polypodiopsida |
| Order: | Polypodiales |
| Family: | Dennstaedtiaceae |
| Genus: | Hypolepis |
| Species: | H. ambigua |
| Binomial name | |
| Hypolepis ambigua | |
Hypolepis ambigua, commonly known as pigfern, [1] is a species of fern that grows in New Zealand. [2]
Hypolepis ambigua is a fern native to New Zealand that grows with fronds from 0.21 m to 1.85 m tall. [3] It has long-creeping rhizomes covered in red-brown hairs, that give rise to fronds at intervals of 20–200 mm. [3] This allows it to form a ground cover similar to Pteridium esculentum . [3] The primary pinnae, or leaflets of the frond, are large at the base and get smaller towards the apex. [3] [4] The secondary and tertiary pinnae, or sub leaflets, are narrow and may decrease in size as the primary pinnae, or are a more consistent oblong shape. [3] Reproductive structures, called sori, are approximately round and protected by lamina flaps. [5] The structure of the sori is representative of the genus Hypolepis (hypo is Latin for under, and lepis for scale). [5] It is most commonly confused with Hypolepis dickinsonioides; however, H. ambigua does not have the sticky glandular hair that H. dickinsonioides has. [2] [3]
Hypolepis ambigua is native to the North and South Island of New Zealand, the Three Kings Islands, the Chatham Islands, and Stewart Island. [3] [5] It has also been naturalized on the island of Bute in Scotland. [6]
On the North Island, it can be found in lowland to lower montane areas in Auckland, Taranaki, Volcanic Plateau, Gisborne, Northland, and the southern part of the North Island. [5] On the South Island, it can be found in almost all coastal regions except for eastern Otago. [3] It is, however, less common inland and not often found in southern Canterbury and central Otago. [3]
H. ambiguai is a lowlands species that prefers to grow in more open areas. It can be most commonly found in bush margins, forest clearings, open grassland, open forest, and scrub. [3] [4] It often forms large colonies due to its fast-growing rhizomes. [3] Its propensity for disturbed soil means that it also frequently is found in urban areas. [2]
Being a member of the class Polypodiopsida, Hypolepis ambigua has the same life cycle as other ferns. [5] There is an alternation of generations, the sporophyte stage and the gametophyte stage. [7] There is no specific research on the phenology of H. ambigua; however, the majority of ferns are perennial and reproduce several times after reaching maturity and have been shown to reproduce seasonally. [7] As an herbaceous fern, H. ambigua is fertile after one year and remains fertile for the rest of its life. [8] In the winter some of the older fronds die off, and then in the spring new fiddleheads emerge. [9]
Ferns prefer soils high in organic matter, with good aeration, and consistent access to water. [9] H. ambigua specifically thrives in disturbed soils such as those found in urban areas and forest clearings. [2]
There is limited research on specific pests and diseases of H. ambigua, however, in general the majority of herbivores that feed on ferns are arthropods. [7] There are proportionally many fewer plant-eating insects per fern species than angiosperm species. [10] [7] The three main orders of insects associated with ferns consist of 43% of all insects associated with ferns, and all have piercing-sucking mouthparts like aphids. [10] Some common pests of ferns are aphids, mealybugs, millipedes, mites, scale insects, pill bugs, and slugs. [9] While there is a wealth of information on the diseases that commonly infect cultivated fern species (blights, molds, rusts, and rots), there is no specific research regarding the diseases that affect H. ambigua or herbaceous ferns in New Zealand. [9]
H. ambigua frequently hybridizes with various other ferns including H. dicksonioides, H. lacteal, H. millefolium, and H. rufobarata. [5] It hybridizes with H. dicksonioides when both species occur in the same area, however, since H. dicksonioides only occurs around thermals and H. ambigua in a much wider range of habitats, the hybridization is very localized to the thermals. [3] It is also the most polymorphic species in its genus in New Zealand. [3]
Asplenium platyneuron, commonly known as ebony spleenwort or brownstem spleenwort, is a fern native to North America east of the Rocky Mountains. It takes its common name from its dark, reddish-brown, glossy stipe and rachis, which support a once-divided, pinnate leaf. The fertile fronds, which die off in the winter, are darker green and stand upright, while the sterile fronds are evergreen and lie flat on the ground. An auricle at the base of each pinna points towards the tip of the frond. The dimorphic fronds and alternate, rather than opposite, pinnae distinguish it from the similar black-stemmed spleenwort.
Onoclea sensibilis, the sensitive fern, also known as the bead fern, is a coarse-textured, medium to large-sized deciduous perennial fern. The name comes from its sensitivity to frost, the fronds dying quickly when first touched by it. It is sometimes treated as the only species in Onoclea, but some authors do not consider the genus monotypic.
Hymenophyllum nephrophyllum, the kidney fern, is a filmy fern species native to New Zealand. It commonly grows on the forest floor of open native bush. Individual kidney-shaped fronds stand about 5–10 cm tall. In hot weather they shrivel up to conserve moisture, but open up again when the wet returns. This species has very thin fronds which are only four to six cells in thickness. In the Māori language they are also called raurenga.
Amauropelta noveboracensis, the New York fern, is a perennial species of fern found throughout the eastern United States and Canada, from Louisiana to Newfoundland, but most concentrated within Appalachia and the Atlantic Northeast. New York ferns often forms spreading colonies within the forests they inhabit.
Austroblechnum penna-marina, synonym Blechnum penna-marina, known as Antarctic hard-fern, Little Hard Fern, Alpine Hard Fern, alpine water fern and pinque, is a species of fern in the family Blechnaceae. It is a widely distributed fern species in the southern hemisphere, with a natural range including New Zealand, Australia, and South America.
Parablechnum wattsii, synonym Blechnum wattsii, is a common terrestrial fern growing in rainforest and open forest. It is often seen near creeks in much of south eastern Australia, including Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia, New South Wales and Queensland. The specific epithet wattsii honours William Walter Watts (1856-1920). Watts was considered an authority on mosses and ferns and has more than 30 species named for him. Common names by which the species may be called are hard water fern - from its stiff leathery fronds, leech fern - as forest workers often encounter leaches while working in clusters of these ferns, hard hill fern - from the fern's habit and habitat, and red cabbage fern - from the bronze-pink colour of the young fronds resembling cooked red cabbage.
Hypolepis (beadfern) is a genus of ferns described as a genus in 1806. The word is derived from Greek, meaning "under scale". It is found in tropical and subtropical regions, primarily in the New World but also in the Old World and on various oceanic islands.
Pellaea calidirupium, the hot rock fern, is a fern of eastern Australia and New Zealand restricted to rocky areas in relatively arid environments. In Tasmania, where it is considered rare, it is only found on the East Coast, the Midlands, and lower slopes of the Central Plateau on dry rock faces. It is also found in Victoria and Queensland. The species was originally described from New Zealand.
Diplazium australe, commonly known as the Austral lady fern, is a small fern occurring in eastern Australia, New Zealand and Norfolk Island. The habitat is moist shaded areas, often occurring in rainforest.
Gleichenia dicarpa, commonly known as pouched coral fern or tangle fern, is a small fern of the family Gleicheniaceae found in eastern Australia, New Caledonia and New Zealand. It forms tangled thickets in wet places such as swamps and riverbanks.
Adiantum hispidulum, commonly known as rough maidenhair fern or five-fingered jack, is a small fern in the family Pteridaceae of widespread distribution. It is found in Africa, Australia, Polynesia, Malesia, New Zealand and other Pacific Islands. Its fronds rise in clumps from rhizomes among rocks or in the soil in sheltered areas.
Histiopteris incisa, the bat's wing fern, water fern or fern mata, is a common plant found in Australia, New Zealand and other islands in the south Pacific region. Usually found in moist areas, where it may form large colonies. The lowermost lobes of each pinnae have a bat wing like appearance, giving the fern its common name.
Polystichum vestitum, commonly known as the prickly shield fern or pūnui (Māori), is a hardy, evergreen or semi-evergreen ground fern.
Sticherus cunninghamii, also known as umbrella fern, is a New Zealand endemic fern.
Pyrrosia eleagnifolia, commonly known as the leather-leaf fern, or ota in Māori, is a climbing fern endemic to New Zealand. P. eleagnifolia has thick, fleshy rounded leaves, and grows both on the ground and as an epiphyte.
Asplenium × gravesii, commonly known as Graves' spleenwort, is a rare, sterile, hybrid fern, named for Edward Willis Graves (1882–1936). It is formed by the crossing of Bradley's spleenwort (A. bradleyi) with lobed spleenwort (A. pinnatifidum). It is only found where its parent species are both present; in practice, this proves to be a few scattered sites in the Appalachian Mountains, Shawnee Hills, and Ozarks, reaching perhaps its greatest local abundance around Natural Bridge State Resort Park. Like its parents, it prefers to grow in acid soil in the crevices of sandstone cliffs.
Tasmania is home to 'Australia’s largest cool temperate rainforests. Most of Tasmania’s rainforests occur in the North-West and throughout the North East highlands. Cool temperate rainforests typically have a heavy rainfall, cool climate, favor high altitudes and have a limited availability of light.
Hymenophyllum rarum, the narrow filmy-fern, is a species of fern from the family Hymenophyllaceae. This thin-leaved fern is commonly found in New Zealand and Tasmania, growing in patches on rocks and is epiphytic on trees and tree ferns, growing in moist gullies or rainforests. A rather drought tolerant species often found at exposed sites ranging from coastal to montane areas. Forming extensive, interwoven and creeping patches with its thin long (creeping) rhizomes sparsely covered in red-brown hairs, easily recognised by its membranous grey-green fronds, the smooth margins of the pinnae, ultimate segments and indusia; and by the sunken sori in the uppermost segments of the uppermost pinnae. The species can be found throughout Tasmanian rainforests as well as occurring in New South Wales, Victoria and New Zealand on the North and South Islands as well as, Stewart, Chatham and Auckland Islands.
Sticherus tener, also known as silky fan-fern, is a common native ground-fern in the family Gleicheniaceae. It occurs growing along watercourses and drainage lines in rainforest that are dominated by Nothofagus cunninghamii. In Australia, it occurs in the states of Tasmania and Victoria. In New Zealand, it is known from two disjoint regions on the South Island. Like in other members of this genus, Sticherus tener have bright green fronds with repeatedly forking branches, branches bearing linear-shaped segments at almost right angles to the axis and form umbrella-like bush colony.
Pteris macilenta is a species of fern endemic to New Zealand.