Christella sledgei (Fraser-Jenk.) Ranil, 2021

Rajapaksha, Ranil, 2021, Six new combinations and one new natural hybrid of ferns from Sri Lanka, Phytotaxa 511 (2), pp. 183-186 : 184-185

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/phytotaxa.511.2.6
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5486587
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/038587EB-FFE5-5552-18B8-44604593FEC7
treatment provided by	Marcus
scientific name	Christella sledgei (Fraser-Jenk.) Ranil
status	comb. nov.

Treatment

5. Christella sledgei (Fraser-Jenk.) Ranil View in CoL , comb. nov.

Basionym: Thelypteris sledgei Fraser-Jenk. (1997:266) View in CoL

[ Christella papilio (Hope) Holttum var. repens Sledge (1981:37) View in CoL ].

Type :— SRI LANKA, Nuwara Eliya District, below Hakgala gardens, 1650 m, 26 Feb. 1954, W. A . Sledge 1212, ( BM holotype) .

Distribution: Sri Lanka (endemic).

Note:—This species was described by Sledge (1981) as a variety of Christella papilio (Hope) Holttum. It is different from C. papilio due to its long creeping rhizome with well-spaced fronds and tetraploid chromosome number (n=72) (Manton and Sledge, 1954). Later, it was renamed T. sledgei by Fraser-Jenkins (1997). This endangered species is confined to streams banks in forests at higher elevations (1500-2200 m) (Shaffar-Fehre, 2006).