Asplenium castaneum Schltdl. & Cham.

  • Authority

    Morton, Conrad V. & Lellinger, David B. 1966. The Polypodiaceae subfamily Asplenioideae in Venezuela. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 15: 1-49.

  • Family

    Aspleniaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Asplenium castaneum Schltdl. & Cham.

  • Description

    Species Description - Rhizomes short, essentially erect, saxicolous, paleaceous only at the apices; fronds 10-20 or more, fasciculate, to 30 cm long; stipes 6-17 cm long, dark castaneous, shining, glabrous, paleaceous near the base; rhachises to 21 cm long, resembling the stipes; blades almost linear, scarcely narrowed below, evenly diminished to a minute terminal pinna; pinnae to 30 usually opposite pairs, elliptical to nearly quadrangular, not dimidiate, membranaceous; indusia short, broad, often hidden by the abundant sporangia at maturity, the pinnae then appearing acrostichoid.

    Distribution and Ecology - At higher elevations, Mexico to Bolivia. In Venezuela known only from Merida.

  • Discussion

    Asplenium rubinum Davenport, Bot. Gaz. 19: 391. 1894. Type: Sierra de las Cruces, Mexico, Pringle 5191 (isotype US) .

    Asplenium trichomanes var. castaneum (Schlecht. & Cham.) Hieron. Bot. Jahrb. Engler 34: 459. 1905 (as “castanea"

    Type. Mount Orizaba, Veracruz, Mexico, Schiede.

    The scales of the rhizome and stipe base provide the best character distinguishing this species from A. monanthes. In A. castaneum these are all composed of uniform cells with rather thin lateral walls, much like the scales of A. laetum Swartz. The character of erose indusia stressed by Maxon18 is not at all consistent.