Vittaria guineensis Desv.
var. orientalis Hieron.

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Photo: Petra Ballings
J.Ball property, Norseland, Vumba

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Synonyms:	Vittaria guineensis sensu Hieron. Vittaria loricea sensu Peter
Common names:
Frequency:	Rare
Status:	Native
Description:	Rhizome fairly thick, shortly creeping; rhizome scales narrowly lanceolate, with or without a short hair-tip, dark brown, c. 3.5 mm long, margins ciliate. Fronds simple, spaced 3-10 mm apart, coriaceous, arching or pendulous; stipe castaneous to black, up to 3 cm long. Lamina up to 35 × 0.6 cm, narrowly elliptic to linear, apex tapering to a point, base tapering, midrib obvious below but not raised, veins obscure. Sori in two submarginal grooves up to 0.6 mm from the margin; indusium continuous, along both sides of the soral line.
Notes:	Can be distinguished from other species by a combination of having a black stipe base, a midrib that is faintly visible but not raised below and rhizome scales that are less than 4 mm long.
Derivation of specific name:	guineensis: from Guinea (West Africa), orientalis: implying that the variety's distribution occurs futher east.
Habitat:	Epiphyte or lithophyte, shade, moist evergreen forest.
Altitude range: (metres)	340 - 1520 m
Worldwide distribution:	Burundi, Cameroon, Congo, DRC, Ethiopia, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, São Tomé, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe distribution:	E
Growth form(s):	Epiphyte, lithophyte.
Endemic status:
Red data list status:
Insects associated with this species:
Spot characters:	Display spot characters for this species
Images last updated:	Sunday 1 July 2012
Literature:	Burrows, J.E. (1990). Southern African Ferns and Fern Allies. Frandsen, Sandton. Pages 110 - 111. (Includes a picture). Burrows, J.E. & Burrows, S.M. (1993). An annotated check-list of the pteridophytes of Malawi Kirkia 14(1) Page 86. Burrows, J.E. & Willis, C.K. (eds) (2005). Plants of the Nyika Plateau Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 31 SABONET, Pretoria Page 45. (Includes a picture). Chapano, C. & Mamuto, M. (2003). Plants of the Chimanimani District National Herbarium and Botanic Garden, Zimbabwe Page 58. Da Silva, M.C., Izidine, S. & Amude, A.B. (2004). A preliminary checklist of the vascular plants of Mozambique. Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 30 Sabonet, Pretoria Page 16. Dowsett-Lemaire, F. (1989). The flora and phytogeography of the evergreen forests of Malawi. I: Afromontane and mid-altitude forests; Bull. Jard. Bot. Nat. Belg. 59(1/2) Page 26. As Vittaria guineensis Fisher E. & Killmann D. (2008). Illustrated Field guide to the Plants of Nyungwe National Park Rwanda. University of Koblenz-Landau. Pages 58 - 59. (Includes a picture). Jacobsen, W.B.G. (1983). The Ferns and Fern Allies of Southern Africa. Butterworths, Durban and Pretoria. Page 215. (Includes a picture). Kornas, J. (1979). Distribution and ecology of the Pteridophytes in Zambia Polska Akademia Nauk Wydzial II Nauk Biologicznych Page 67. Mapaura, A. & Timberlake, J. (eds) (2004). A checklist of Zimbabwean vascular plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 33 Sabonet, Pretoria and Harare Page 10. Roux, J.P. (2001). Conspectus of Southern African Pteridophyta. Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report 13 Page 84. Roux, J.P. (2009). Synopsis of the Lycopodiophyta and Pteridophyta of Africa, Madagascar and neighbouring islands Pages 73 - 74. Schelpe, E.A.C.L.E. (1970). Pteridophyta Flora Zambesiaca Page 96.

Other sources of information about Vittaria guineensis var. orientalis:

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Flora of Burundi: Vittaria guineensis var. orientalis
Flora of the DRC: Vittaria guineensis var. orientalis
Flora of Malawi: Vittaria guineensis var. orientalis
Flora of Mozambique: Vittaria guineensis var. orientalis
Flora of Rwanda: Vittaria guineensis var. orientalis
Flora of Zambia: Vittaria guineensis var. orientalis

External websites:

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