Trichomanes capillaceum L.

  • Authority

    Proctor, George R. 1989. Ferns of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 53: 1-389.

  • Family

    Hymenophyllaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Trichomanes capillaceum L.

  • Description

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    Species Description - Rhizome long-creeping, filiform, ca. 0.2 mm in diam., bearing rather numerous brown hairlike rhizoids. Fronds numerous, close or distant but usually closely aggregated by intertwining of the rhizomes, mostly 5-11 cm long; stipes 1-5 cm long, terete and not winged, glabrous. Blades lanceolate, ovate, or oblanceolate, 4-9 cm long, 1-3.5 cm broad, 3- to 4-pinnate, unevenly obtuse at apex, narrowed or attenuate at base, glabrous throughout; rhachis and primary costae not winged; costules narrowly winged toward distal end; ultimate segments narrowly cuneiform, 0.1-0.3 mm broad at the emarginate apex; tissue light green, thinly membranous but somewhat stiff in texture. Sori usually one per pinna (rarely more), terminating proximal segments, usually stalked and free from the leaf tissue; involucre narrowly funnelform, about twice as long as broad, the flaring mouth undulate but not 2-lipped nor darkmarginate; receptacle long-exserted; spores subglobose, densely granular.

  • Discussion

    Lectotype. Plumier, Traite foug. Amer., t. 99-D, based on a plant collected by Plumier "en venant de la Bande du Sud a Leogane," Haiti (designated by Proctor, 1985).

    Syn. Trichomanes tenellum Hedwig, Fil. gen. sp., ad 6, text &figs. 1, la, lb. 1799. (Lectotype. The cited Hedwig figs.; however, an authentic specimen from Jamaica exists at Fl, photo US.)

    Trichomanes trichoideum Swartz, J. Bot, (Schrader) 1800(2): 98. 1802, (A renaming of T. tenellum Hedwig, cited by Swartz as pusillum in error.)

    Trichomanes trichodes Swartz, Fl. Ind. occid. 3: 1741. 1806. (A renaming of T. trichoideum Swartz.)

    Vandenboschia capillacea (Linnaeus) Copeland, Philipp. J. Sci. 67: 53. 1938

  • Distribution

    General Distribution. Greater Antilles, and continental tropical America from southern Mexico to Venezuela, Ecuador, and Peru. Distribution in Puerto Rico. Known only from the Cordillera Central. Recorded from Adjuntas, Jayuya, Orocovis, and Utuado. Habitat. On trunks of tree-fems in wet montane forest at high elevations (800-1150 m), uncommon but sometimes locally frequent.

    West Indies| Mexico North America| Central America| Colombia South America| Ecuador South America| Peru South America| Venezuela South America|