Tectaria gemmifera (Fée) Alston

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Photo: Petra Ballings
By road to Chirinda Forest camp site

Photo: Bart Wursten
Nyamkombe river, Aberfoyle, Honde Valley

Photo: Petra Ballings
Hadange River crossing, rd to Outward Bound, Chimanimani

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Species details: Click on each item to see an explanation of that item (Note: opens a new window)

Synonyms:	Aspidium cicutarium sensu Sim Aspidium coadunatum Kaulf. var. gemmiferum (Fée) Mett. ex Kuhn Aspidium gemmiferum (Fée) Ching Nephrodium cicutarium sensu Sim Sagenia gemmifera Fée
Common names:
Frequency:
Status:	Native
Description:	Rhizome erect, up to 2 cm in diameter; rhizome scales dark brown with paler margins, lanceolate in outline, entire, tapering to a point, up to 9 mm long. Fronds tufted, arching, thinly herbaceous, up to 1.8 m long, with proliferating buds on rhachis, costae and costules on the upper surface. Stipe 30-75 cm long, straw-coloured to brown, shiny, thinly set with minute white hairs and with scales similar to those on the rhizome at the base. Lamina 30-100 × 23-80 cm, ovate-triangular in outline, 2-pinnatifid to 3-pinnate with long pinnatifid terminal segment, basal pinnae longest and strongly developed basiscopically, sparsely set with minute white hairs on both surfaces, denser on costae and costules and veins below. Ultimate segments oblong-lanceolate, falcate, margins crenate or incised into rounded lobes. Sori up to 2 mm in diameter, round, in regular rows on both sides of the costules; indusia kidney-shaped, c. 1 mm in diameter, brown, membranous.
Notes:
Derivation of specific name:	gemmifera: bearing gemma; the fronds of this species are often bearing buds or plantlets.
Habitat:
Altitude range:
Worldwide distribution:	Widespread in E. tropical Africa, Angola, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, South Africa.
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. Pages 324 - 325. (Includes a picture). Burrows, J.E. & Burrows, S.M. (1993). An annotated check-list of the pteridophytes of Malawi Kirkia 14(1) Page 99. Burrows, J.E. & Willis, C.K. (eds) (2005). Plants of the Nyika Plateau Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 31 SABONET, Pretoria Page 31. (Includes a picture). Chapano, C. & Mamuto, M. (2003). Plants of the Chimanimani District National Herbarium and Botanic Garden, Zimbabwe Page 54. Crouch, N.R., Klopper, R.R., Burrows, J.E. & Burrows, S.M. (2011). Ferns of Southern Africa, A comprehensive guide Struik Nature Pages 524 - 525. (Includes a picture). 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 15. 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 25. Jacobsen, W.B.G. (1983). The Ferns and Fern Allies of Southern Africa. Butterworths, Durban and Pretoria. Pages 456 - 457. (Includes a picture). Kornas, J. (1979). Distribution and ecology of the Pteridophytes in Zambia Polska Akademia Nauk Wydzial II Nauk Biologicznych Page 106. 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 Pages 132 - 133. (Includes a picture). Roux, J.P. (2009). Synopsis of the Lycopodiophyta and Pteridophyta of Africa, Madagascar and neighbouring islands Page 195. Schelpe, E.A.C.L.E. (1970). Pteridophyta Flora Zambesiaca Pages 234 - 235.

Other sources of information about Tectaria gemmifera:

Our websites:

Flora of Malawi: Tectaria gemmifera
Flora of Mozambique: Tectaria gemmifera
Flora of Rwanda: Tectaria gemmifera
Flora of Zambia: Tectaria gemmifera
Flora of Zimbabwe: Tectaria gemmifera

External websites:

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