• Family (Christenhusz et al, 2011) : BLECHNACEAE
• Family (As per The Plant List) : Blechnaceae
• Species : Stenochlaena palustris
• Species Name (as per The Plant List) : Stenochlaena palustris (Burm. f.) Bedd.
• Key identification features : Rhizome long creeping, scandant, upto 8 mm thick, stramienous with few scattered scales, often reachin the top of trees, climbing by upto 2 cm long, hairy, palmately arranged groups of roots on the abaxial side; younger roots protected by scales. Fronds scattered, dimorphic; sterile frond with upto 18 cm long, 7 mm thick, stramineous and glabrous stipes; lamina ovate to oblong-lanceolate, slightly narrowed towards apex; pinnae upto 20 pairs, spreading, shortly stalked, margin coarsely serrate with thick, hard, pale brown, sclerotic border; costa slightly raised; texture thick coriaceous. Fertile fronds borne at the distal part of the plant, more or less of the same shape and size of the sterile one, but with much contracted pinnae. Sori borne all over the lower surface of the fertile segments, protected by pale brown, firm, entire, reflexed margin; spores monolete, planoconvex or reniform.
• Habit : Climbing fern
• Native : India
• Comments : Not common; found growing along canals in partially shaded places.
• Conservation Status : Not Evaluated (NE)
• Distribution Locality : Dakshina Kannada; Uttara Kannada
• Floras referred : Fraser-Jenkins, Taxonomic revision of Indian Subcontinental Pteridophytes 2008; Rajagopal & Bhat, Pteridophytic flora of Karnataka State- 1998

Description

Field Images