Morton, Conrad V. & Lellinger, David B. 1966. The Polypodiaceae subfamily Asplenioideae in Venezuela. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 15: 1-49.
Aspleniaceae
Species Description - Rhachis pale green, obviously alate toward apex and more or less alate toward the base; pinnae usually obtuse, not lobed and only slightly toothed, with a small rounded auricle, this completely adnate and not separated from the rest of the pinna by sinuses.
Asplenium macilentum Klotzsch ex Kunze, Linnaea 20: 351. 1857. Syntypes: Herb. Willdenow no. 19890 (as A. laxum Willd., ined.) ; Brazil, Sellow; “in truncis vetustis Caripe,” Venezuela, Moritz 183; near Caracas, Venezuela, Moritz 100 (B, photographs 9602, 9610) , and 100? (B, photograph 9611; fragment ex B, NY) ; British Guiana, Schomburgk 1168 (B, photograph 9601, referable to var. auritum) . The specimen in the Willdenow Herbarium, no. 19890, is here designated lectotype. Asplenium auritum var. macilentum (Klotzsch) Moore, Ind. Fil. 115. 1859.
There is in Venezuela an extremely small plant in which the pinnae are subentire and almost completely lacking a superior auricle, or sometimes the whole blade is only 3 cm long and merely pinnatifid or even subentire. Although at first sight this appears to be a different species, it is probably only an extremely reduced or depauperate form of var. obtusum. It was collected long ago at Bocono, Merida, by Karsten (W), and recently in the Parque Nacional Henri Pittier, Aragua, by Steyermark (No. 89888). A specimen collected by E. Garcia (No. 9) has some small blades and some that are intermediate in size to typical var. obtusum.