• Family (Christenhusz et al, 2011) : DENNSTAEDTIACEAE
• Family (As per The Plant List) : Dennstaedtiaceae
• Species : Microlepia speluncae
• Species Name (as per The Plant List) : Microlepia speluncae (L.) T. Moore
• Collection Nos : HFP 668, HFP 1492
• Collector(s) Name : C. J. Saldanha & T. P. Ramamoorthy; T. P. Ramamoorthy
• Key identification features : Rhizome long creeping, branched, upto 2 cm thick, densely clothed by pale brown, multicellular, tubular hairs all over. Stipes scattered, grey-green below, pale brown above when fresh, grey-brown throughout when dry, hairy at base, glabrous above. Lamina broadly deltoid ovate, tripinnatifid or quadripinnate; primary pinnae about eight pairs, ascending, distinctly stalked, alternate above, oblong-lanceolate, secondary pinnae about 20 pairs, slightly asceending, shortly stalked; tertiary pinnae about 12 pairs, anandromous, sessile, alternate, margin lobed upto the costule, veins slightly distinct, free, not reaching the margin; lamina usually pubescent above and below, dark green; texture soft, herbaceous. Sori submarginal, usually on the basal acroscopic vein end of each lobe, indusia cup-shaped, usually hairy; spores trilete, pale green, triangular with rounded corners.
• Habit : Herb-Terrestrial
• Native : Hawaii; Australia; South Africa
• Comments : Frequent in moist shady forests of hilly regions.
• Conservation Status : Not Evaluated (NE)
• Collection Locality : Hassan; Hassan
• Distribution Locality : Chikamagalur; Hassan; Shimoga; Uttara Kannada
• Floras referred : Fraser-Jenkins, Taxonomic revision of Indian Subcontinental Pteridophytes 2008; Rajagopal & Bhat, Pteridophytic flora of Karnataka State- 1998; Manickam V.S & Irudayaraj V. (1992)- Pteridophyte flora of W.Ghats, South India

Description

Herbarium Specimen(s)

Field Images