Asplenium yelagagense Mickel & Beitel

  • Authority

    Mickel, John T. & Smith, Alan R. 2004. The pteridophytes of Mexico. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 88: 1-1054.

  • Family

    Aspleniaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Asplenium yelagagense Mickel & Beitel

  • Description

    Species Description - Roots fibrous, not proliferous; rhizomes suberect; rhizome scales black, clathrate, 3–4 x 0.5–0.8 mm, entire; fronds clumped, 20–35 cm long; stipes castaneous to atropurpureous, lustrous, 6– 13 cm x 1–1.5 mm, 1/3–2/5 of frond length, glabrous, not winged; blades thick-herbaceous, 15–25 x 6–10 cm, lanceolate, 1-pinnate,not reduced proximally, apices flagelliform, proliferous; rachises castaneous, lustrous, glabrous, adaxially with tan wings ca. 0.1 mm wide; pinnae lanceolate, 10–15 pairs, 3.5–6 x 0.8–1 cm (excluding basal auricle), auriculate acroscopically, narrowly cuneate and excised basiscopically, apices acute, margins coarsely serrate with sinuses 0.5–1 mm deep; veins mostly simple, except for acroscopic basal vein, obscure, tips evident adaxially; indument abaxially of scattered, tan, appressed, clavate hairs 0.1–0.2 mm long; sori 7–11 pairs per pinna, on both sides of midveins, each pinna with 1 or 2 diplazioid sori on basal acroscopic vein; indusia 6–9 x 0.3–0.4 mm, becoming strongly reflexed, margins ciliolate with hairs 0.1 mm long; spores reniform.

  • Discussion

    Type. Mexico. Oaxaca: Distrito Villa Alta, valley of the Yelagago River, ca. 20 mi NE of Villa Alta, Mickel 1058 (NY!; isotypes NY! UC!).

    This species is closely related to A. cirrhatum and similar to it in having proliferous, flagelliform tips and 1-pinnate blades. Asplenium yelagagense is distinct in its larger, dark green, strongly auriculate pinnae 3.5–6 cm long, with margins coarsely serrate (sinuses 0.5–1 mm deep), and also by the longer (6–9 mm long) and more numerous sori (7–11 pairs), some diplazioid on the auricles. More study is needed to establish the relationship between these two species and other 1-pinnate taxa of this complex, including A. acutiserratum (Hieron.) Mickel of Trinidad, A. macrurum Mickel & Stolze of Ecuador, and especially A. karstenianum Klotzsch and A. galipense Hieron. of Venezuela.

    Unplaced Names Asplenium coriaceum Fe´e,Me´m. Foug. 5: 193. 1852, non Desv., 1827. A. pycnophyllum T. Moore, Index Fil. 159. 1859. Type. Mexico. Galeotti s.n. (RB). Asplenium auritum Sw. var. dissectum E. Fourn., Mexic. Pl. 1: 107. 1872. Syntypes. Mexico. Veracruz: S. Cristo´bal, Botteri 1428; S. Andre´s, Botteri 1429 (both Herb. va. Heurck, presumably BR). Excluded Species Asplenium lividum Mett. ex Kuhn, Linnaea 36: 100. 1869. Type. Venezuela. Aragua: San Carlos River valley, Fendler 156 (B; isotypes F, MO!, US!). This was attributed to Chiapas by Adams (in Davidse et al., 1995) on the basis of Ghiesbreght s.n. (BM), which we have not seen. Otherwise, the species has been reported from Venezuela, Peru (Tryon & Stolze, 1993), and Africa (Burrows, 1990; Jacobsen, 1983; Schelpe & Anthony, 1986). It is very closely related to A. praemorsum, differing by the less dissected blades (merely pinnate-pinnatifid), fewer scales on the blades, and the scales without a long-attenuate tip. We doubt the conspecificity of the Ghiesbreght collection with the Venezuelan type, and the distinctness of the species is also open to question. Therefore, it is here excluded from the Mexican flora.

  • Distribution

    Terrestrial, in wet montane forests on the Atlantic slope; 1050–1200 m. Known only from the type collection.

    Mexico North America|