Nephrolepis hirsutula

Hovenkamp PH & Miyamoto F, 2005, A conspectus of the native and naturalized species of Nephrolepis (Nephrolepidaceae) in the world, Blumea 50, pp. 279-322 : 315-316

Nephrolepis hirsutula

Nephrolepis hirsutula appears to have been the species to give rise to most cultivated forms before the advent of ʻbostoniensisʼ. Many of these forms have been collected from several places within the range of N. hirsutula , sometimes without any indication of being cultivated (e.g., Lauterbach 309, 1890, New Britain, 800 m; Hahn s.n., 1905, Yabim Isl., New Guinea).

A form with irregularly bipinnatifid fronds appears to have been extensively cultivated in the 18th century. It was collected as cultivated in Mangalore, South India ( Anon. s.n., 1904, P), Java (Buysman 2286, Mousset s.n., 1910, L), Hawaii (Faurie s.n., 1909, P); New Hebrides (Richards s.n., before 1873, hb. Macleay, K), Duke of York Island (Betche s.n., 1871, cult? notes unreadable, P); Papua New Guinea (Croft 854).

Specimens with marginally proliferous pinnae were collected on the Philippines (G. Wallis s.n., 1871, Luzon, P) and on Sumatra (Korthals s.n., P).

A lacerate form was collected in 1927 from a cultivated plant in Bandung (Wisse 1182, BO), and a similar form was collected from cultivation in Surabaja in 1923 (Dorgelo 1941, BO) and again in 1934 (Anon. s.n., BO).

A form with irregularly lacerate pinnae was collected on New Britain in 1887 (Parkinson s.n., K).

Forma ʻtripinnatifdaʼ (Baker, 1887: 476, f. 90-91) is a finely divided form reported to be introduced from Fiji Islands.

A poorly fertile form with regularly furcate pinnae was described as Nephrodium multifidum A. Rich.

Nephrolepis duffiii : Usually, N. duffiii is, following Goebel (1907) and Morton (1958), taken to be a (sterile) form of N. cordifolia . However, the original specimens we have seen are for the largest part clearly forms of N. hirsutula . This is confrmed by a fertile plant growing in a nursery in Singapore, collected by M.G. Price (Price s.n., BO). The sori of this plant are clearly not the lunulate sori characteristic of N. cordifolia , and basal scales and rachis indument also suggest an origin in N. hirsutula . Similar fertile plants in cultivation in a completely different location are described by Tryon (1962). Although N. duffiii represents a very distinct form, with short, orbicular pinnae and furcate rachises, there may be different origins in different species of Nephrolepis . The tuberous forms assigned to N. duffiii by Morton (1958) probably have their origin in N. cordifolia and a similar plant collected by Forrest in Burma (Forrest 12174, BM, March 1914, "Hills around Prome Lower Burma") appears to have originated in N. brownii . Cultivated forms currently being distributed under the name N. duffiii appear to be derived from N. 'bostoniensis' . The original N. duffiii is characterized by small, deeply furcate or paired pinnae, while most of the ʻlookalikeʼ forms have single pinnae.

EXCLUDED SPECIES

Nephrolepis iridescens Alderw. (1915) 20 . - Type: Jaheri s.n. (holo BO), Key Islands = Asplenium sp.