| Home | > | List of families | > | Thelypteridaceae | > | Christella | > | microbasis |
| Synonyms: |
Dryopteris microbasis (Baker) Kuntze Lastrea microbasis (Baker) Pic. Serm. Nephrodium microbasis Baker Thelypteris microbasis (Baker) Tardieu |
| Common names: | |
| Frequency: | |
| Status: | Native |
| Description: |
Rhizome shortly ascending, c. 10 mm in diameter. Stipe up to 60 cm long, strawcoloured, without hairs or scales. Lamina up to 60 cm long, elliptic to lanceolate in outline, deeply 2-pinnatifid, basal 2-3 pairs of pinnae reduced, lowest pair much reduced (up to 2.5 cm long). Pinnae narrowly oblong, pinnatifid, apex tapering to a point; ultimate lobes oblong, basal acroscopic lobe enlarged; both surfaces with scattered pale hairs, more so on the veins, costae and costules, lower surface also with short, glandular or capitate, yellowish hairs; veins not anostomosing or almost so in the sinus. Rhachis pilose. Sori round; indusia covered with short, yellow, glandular hairs and a few white hairs. |
| Notes: | Christella chaseana closely resembles C. microbasis but does not have the glandular hairs on the lower surface of the lamina nor the yellow glands on the indusia. |
| Derivation of specific name: | mikros: small, basis: base; most likely referring to the much reduced pair of basal pinnae. |
| Habitat: | In deciduous Brachystegia miombo woodland growing in shade in water-created recesses at the base of sandstone cliffs. |
| Altitude range: (metres) | 860 m (approx) |
| Worldwide distribution: | Essentialy a tropical West African species, sporadically in Kenya and Tanzania, Zimbabwe. |
| Zimbabwe distribution: | N |
| Growth form(s): | Terrestrial. |
| Endemic status: | |
| Red data list status: | |
| Insects associated with this species: | |
| Spot characters: | Display spot characters for this species |
| Literature: |
Burrows, J.E. (1990). Southern African Ferns and Fern Allies. Frandsen, Sandton. Page 265. As Thelypteris microbasis (Includes a picture). Jacobsen, W.B.G. (1983). The Ferns and Fern Allies of Southern Africa. Butterworths, Durban and Pretoria. Pages 390 - 391. (Includes a picture). Roux, J.P. (2001). Conspectus of Southern African Pteridophyta. Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report 13 Page 121. Roux, J.P. (2009). Synopsis of the Lycopodiophyta and Pteridophyta of Africa, Madagascar and neighbouring islands Page 203. |
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