Asplenium phillipsianum (Kümmerie) Bir, Fraser-Jenk. & Lovis

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Photo: Petra Ballings
Great enclosure, Great Zimbabwe Ruins

Photo: Bart Wursten
Great enclosure, Great Zimbabwe Ruins

Photo: Petra Ballings
Besna kobila

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Synonyms:	Ceterach phillipsianum Kümmerle
Common names:
Frequency:
Status:	Native
Description:	Rhizome erect or procumbent, c.4 mm in diameter, scales dark-chestnut coloured, lanceolate, margin paler sometimes toothed, up to 4 mm long. Fronds sometimes proliferous in the sinuses of the apical lobes, tufted, suberect to spreading. Stipe very short, 5-30 mm long, dark chestnut brown; scales shiny, brown, up to 4 mm long. Lamina 5-13 × 1.5-5 cm, pinnatisect to shallowly 2-pinnatifid, elliptic to obovate in outline, herbaceous, inrolled when dry; basal pinnae gradually decrescent. Pinnae attached to the rhachis throughout, base prolonged down the rhachis, narrowly ovate-oblong, margins entire to weakly sinuate, apex rounded, undersurface very sparsely covered with scales; scales brown, lanceolate, c. 2.5 mm long. Rhachis somewhat winged apically, not winged between widely spaced pinnae basally; scales like stipe scales, 4 mm long. Sori linear, 2-3 mm long becoming confluent at maturity, not totally obscured by scales, exindusiate.
Notes:	Untill recently this species was included within the broad concept for A. cordatum. Confusion possible with A. cordatum which has a more incised lamina, petiolate pinnae, a rhachis that is not winged and sori that are obscured by dense scale covering. A. phillipsianum can be distinguished from A. capense: A. capense has a rhachis that is only winged apically (throughout in A. phillipsianum), the pinnae are adnate apically & petiolate basally (adnate throughout in A. phillipsianum) and the sori are less long.
Derivation of specific name:	phillipsianum: type specimen was collected by the English explorer E. Lort-Phillips (1857-1944).
Habitat:	Close to streams and under trees on steep, damp earth banks
Altitude range: (metres)
Worldwide distribution:	South Africa, extending to central and tropical East Africa, Madagascar.
Zimbabwe distribution:	S
Growth form(s):	Lithophyte.
Endemic status:
Red data list status:
Insects associated with this species:
Spot characters:	Display spot characters for this species
Images last updated:	Sunday 12 February 2012
Literature:	Crouch, N.R., Klopper, R.R., Burrows, J.E. & Burrows, S.M. (2011). Ferns of Southern Africa, A comprehensive guide Struik Nature Pages 586 - 587. (Includes a picture). Roux, J.P. (2009). Synopsis of the Lycopodiophyta and Pteridophyta of Africa, Madagascar and neighbouring islands Page 93.

Other sources of information about Asplenium phillipsianum:

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Asplenium phillipsianum
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Asplenium phillipsianum
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Asplenium phillipsianum
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Asplenium phillipsianum
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Asplenium phillipsianum
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Asplenium phillipsianum
JSTOR Plant Science: Asplenium phillipsianum
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Asplenium phillipsianum
Plants of the World Online: Asplenium phillipsianum
Tropicos: Asplenium phillipsianum
Wikipedia: Asplenium phillipsianum