| Tmesipteris horomaka | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Division: | Polypodiophyta |
| Class: | Polypodiopsida |
| Order: | Psilotales |
| Family: | Psilotaceae |
| Genus: | Tmesipteris |
| Species: | T. horomaka |
| Binomial name | |
| Tmesipteris horomaka Perrie, Brownsey, et Lovis | |
Tmesipteris horomaka, commonly known as the Banks Peninsula fork fern, is a fern ally endemic to New Zealand. [1]
Tmesipteris horomaka is usually found on the stem of the tree ferns, i.e., epiphytic fern or sometimes found on the ground, or soil from decomposing logs, i.e., terrestrial fern. [2] Many stems of Tmesipteris horomaka can be found on a single fern tree, but it is hard to tell whether they belong to single individual fern, as Tmesipteris plants have creeping rootstock from which various shoots may arise. [3] It has continuous creeping rootstock with the aerial stem grows to a length that ranges between 60 and 510 mm and with a width of 15 to 35 mm. [3] The leaves are rounded at the apex and have a small spike, known as mucron at the top of the leaves, which grows to the length of 10 to 25 mm and has a width that ranges between 2.5 and 6.5 mm. [2] The structure of this species is somewhat in between of T. elongata and T. tannensis. [2] The difference between T. horomaka and T. tannensis is that of the placement of the spore-producing synangia, and it differs from T. elongata by having a truncate leaf with a notch at the apex of the leaves. [2] The characteristics of Tmesipteris horomaka is further differentiated from that of its parent by its spore size both of which are tetraploid while T. horomaka is octoploid. [3]
Tmesipteris horomaka is an epiphyte in nature; they are usually found of hanging from the trunk of tree ferns or other trees in the forest for infrastructure and support. [4] The initial observation of T. horomaka was as an epiphyte around the stem of the tree fern; however, a sample which came from Port Hills registered it to be found on the decaying matter of Phormium (flax) which was on the southeast cliff face. [3] The tree ferns that can host T. horomaka are Cyathea dealbata, C. smithii, and Dicksonia squarrosa are found in podocarp, broadleaved, and beech forest. [2] So far it is only found in New Zealand with the population found in the area of Banks Peninsula and the Port Hills near Christchurch. [2]
There are two distinct changes that take place during the life of a fern which belongs to a group of vascular plants, i.e., from the sporophytic phase to a gametophytic phase. [5] The spores of the fern are haploid and are produced in an organ called sporangia, which can be found on the leaves of the fern, also called fronds. [5] A tiny portion of the spores gets dispersed into the atmosphere due to the current of the wind and falls inappropriate site to form a gametophyte. [5] The fertilization takes place when the eggs and sperm are produced on the different gametophyte, and the results are placed in the tissue of prothallium until the embryo breaks its dormancy and cell division takes place, which finally leads to the development of gametophyte. [5]
Bio Status: Endemic
Tmesipteris horomaka was considered as a threatened species by the Department of Conservation and was receiving extra support for the management. [6] The total population of Tmesipteris horomaka was found to be less than 250 of mature individuals, which brings them to the criteria of endangered species, this was also classified under lack of data and currently found in only one location. [3] As this species is newly discovered, further survey is needed, and so far, through the preliminary population survey, the biggest threat to it is the safety and survival of its host plant. [3]
Tmesipteris horomaka was discovered when researchers Leon R Perrie, Patrick J Brownsey were on their survey researching the chromosome number in two species of the Tmesipteris, which ended by finding a new octoploid fern on the Bank Peninsula. [3] This species was a cross between a locally occurring species T. elengata and T. tannensis, and the characteristic of the new species was utterly different from that of its parents. [3] The prothalli, also known as gametophytes, are hard to find. They are rarely found in the environment. This is due to the dense population of Tmesipteris, the location it grows, and the dormancy period before it grows as an individual plant [7]
A sporangium ; pl.: sporangia) is an enclosure in which spores are formed. It can be composed of a single cell or can be multicellular. Virtually all plants, fungi, and many other groups form sporangia at some point in their life cycle. Sporangia can produce spores by mitosis, but in land plants and many fungi, sporangia produce genetically distinct haploid spores by meiosis.
The ferns are a group of vascular plants that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. They differ from mosses by being vascular, i.e., having specialized tissues that conduct water and nutrients and in having life cycles in which the branched sporophyte is the dominant phase.
Lycopodiopsida is a class of vascular plants also known as lycopods or lycophytes. Members of the class are also called clubmosses, firmosses, spikemosses and quillworts. They have dichotomously branching stems bearing simple leaves called microphylls and reproduce by means of spores borne in sporangia on the sides of the stems at the bases of the leaves. Although living species are small, during the Carboniferous, extinct tree-like forms (Lepidodendrales) formed huge forests that dominated the landscape and contributed to coal deposits.
Psilotum is a genus of fern-like vascular plants. It is one of two genera in the family Psilotaceae commonly known as whisk ferns, the other being Tmesipteris. Plants in these two genera were once thought to be descended from the earliest surviving vascular plants, but more recent phylogenies place them as basal ferns, as a sister group to Ophioglossales. They lack true roots and leaves are very reduced, the stems being the organs containing photosynthetic and conducting tissue. There are only two species in Psilotum and a hybrid between the two. They differ from those in Tmesipteris in having stems with many branches and a synangium with three lobes rather than two.
A pteridophyte is a vascular plant that reproduces by means of spores. Because pteridophytes produce neither flowers nor seeds, they are sometimes referred to as "cryptogams", meaning that their means of reproduction is hidden.
Psilotaceae is a family of ferns consisting of two genera, Psilotum and Tmesipteris with about a dozen species. It is the only family in the order Psilotales.
Tmesipteris, the hanging fork ferns, is a genus of ferns, one of two genera in the family Psilotaceae, order Psilotales . Tmesipteris is restricted to certain lands in the Southern Pacific, notably Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia. In New Zealand this hanging epiphyte is common in the warm temperate rain forests of both main islands, where it can normally be found as short spiky dark-green fronds, often with lighter bag-like sporangia at the bases of some of its "leaves". The plant possesses no true leaves; what appear to be leaves are flattened stems. The fronds emerge directly from the fibrous root-mats which clad the trunks of mature tree ferns such as Dicksonia and Cyathea. Tmesipteris is from the Greek language, meaning a "cut fern", referring to the truncated leaf tips.
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.
Tmesipteris tannensis is a fern ally endemic to New Zealand. It is usually epiphytic on trees and tree ferns, but is occasionally terrestrial.
Cheiroglossa palmata, synonyms Ophioderma palmatum and Ophioglossum palmatum, variously known as hand fern, dwarf staghorn, or hand tongue, is an epiphytic or terrestrial fern. As an epiphyte it grows in old leaf bases of the cabbage palmetto.
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.
Hymenophyllum australe, commonly known as austral filmy fern, is a relatively large rupestral and epiphytic fern, indigenous to eastern Australia and New Zealand. It belongs to the unique Hymenophyllum genus, which are characterised by their thin membranous fronds that are seldom more than one cell thick, with the exception of regions over and around veins. Hymenophyllum australe is distinctive in that the fronds are typically thicker than other Hymenophyllum species, often being up to 2-3 cells thick.
Phlegmariurus varius, is a fir moss or club moss in the family Lycopodiaceae found in areas of Australia, New Zealand and associated islands. It has a number of synonyms including Huperzia varia.
Polyphlebium venosum, the veined bristle-fern or bristle filmy fern, is a fern in the family Hymenophyllaceae. It is only found in wet forests, mainly growing as an epiphyte on the shady side of the soft tree fern, Dicksonia antarctica. It also grows on logs, trunks of trees and rarely on trunks of Cyathea species or on wet rock-faces. It is found in the wetter parts of Eastern Australia and New Zealand. P. venosum has poor long-distance dispersal compared to other ferns due to its short lived spore. Notable features of Polyphlebium venosum include it being one cell layer thick, 5–15 cm in length, having many branching veins and a trumpet shaped indusium.
Tmesipteris obliqua, more commonly known as the long fork-fern or common fork-fern, is a weeping, epiphytic fern ally with narrow unbranched leafy stems. T. obliqua is a member of the genus Tmesipteris, commonly known as hanging fork-ferns. Tmesipteris is one of two genera in the order Psilotales, the other genus being Psilotum. T. obliqua is endemic to eastern Australia.
Dicksonia lanata is a fern endemic to New Zealand. Colloquial names include stumpy tree fern, tūākura and tūōkura.
Asplenium gracillimum is a fern species native to Australia and New Zealand, also found in Stewart Island and the Chatham Islands. The specific epithet gracillimum refers to the slender and graceful appearance of this fern.
Telmatoblechnum serrulatum, the toothed midsorus fern, is a species of fern in the family Blechnaceae, native to Florida, southeastern Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, northern and western South America, Brazil, Paraguay, and northeastern Argentina.
Patrick John Brownsey was a British-born New Zealand botanist who specialised in the systematics of New Zealand ferns, and was for 44 years curator of botany at the National Museum of New Zealand and Te Papa.
Pteris macilenta is a species of fern endemic to New Zealand.