Lygodium kerstenii Kuhn

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Photo: Bart Wursten
Leopard Rock Game Reserve, Vumba

Photo: Petra Ballings
BR

Photo: Petra Ballings
Haroni-Rusitu, Makurupini river

Photo: Petra Ballings
Road from Mt Selinda to Espungabera border post

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

Synonyms:	Lygodium brycei Baker Lygodium subulatum Bojer ex Kuhn
Common names:	Climbing fern (English)
Frequency:
Status:	Native
Description:	Climbing fern. Rhizome creeping, scales linear, blackish-brown, c. 1.5 mm long. Fronds spaced apart, growing to 6-12-20 m high. Stipe and rhachis of an elongated frond function as the climbing stem, from which short secondary rhachises with an opposing pair of pinnae arrise, apical bud densely covered with short brown hairs. Sterile pinnae bipinnate to 3-pinnate or 4-pinnatifid on the basal pinnae, margins toothed to lobed; pinnules lanceolate-oblong, up to 11 cm long,finely hairy along secondary rhachises and the pinnule midribs, veins with scattered hairs on both surfaces. Fertile pinnae bipinnate to 4-pinnate, veins hairy on both surfaces; fertile pinnules up to 9 cm long, with numerous protruding fertile lobes, up to 12 mm long; sporangia 4-14 pairs, arranged in 2 rows along the margins (pinnule apex without fertile lobes).
Notes:	Differs from L. microphyllum by having hairy veins and more divided pinnae.
Derivation of specific name:	kerstenii: named after Otto Kersten ( 1839-1900), a German plant collector
Habitat:	Fringes of evergreen forest, along rivers in riverine forest or woodland; medium altitude, warm areas with high rainfall.
Altitude range:	50 - 1280 m
Flowering time:
Worldwide distribution:	Mozambique, South africa, Swaziland, Zambia, Zimbabwe, from central Africa northwards to Kenya, also in Comores and Madagascar.
Mozambique distribution:	MS
Growth form:
Endemic status:
Red data list status:
Insects (whose larvae eat this species):
Spot characters:	Display spot characters for this species
Content last updated:	Sunday 18 December 2011
Literature:	Burrows, J.E. (1990). Southern African Ferns and Fern Allies. Frandsen, Sandton. Pages 61 - 62. (Includes a picture). Crouch, N.R., Klopper, R.R., Burrows, J.E. & Burrows, S.M. (2011). Ferns of Southern Africa, A comprehensive guide Struik Nature Pages 182 - 183. (Includes a picture). Jacobsen, W.B.G. (1983). The Ferns and Fern Allies of Southern Africa. Butterworths, Durban and Pretoria. Page 181. (Includes a picture). Kornas, J. (1979). Distribution and ecology of the Pteridophytes in Zambia Polska Akademia Nauk Wydzial II Nauk Biologicznych Page 41. 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 8. Roux, J.P. (2001). Conspectus of Southern African Pteridophyta. Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report 13 Page 50. (Includes a picture). Roux, J.P. (2009). Synopsis of the Lycopodiophyta and Pteridophyta of Africa, Madagascar and neighbouring islands Page 53. Schelpe, E.A.C.L.E. (1970). Pteridophyta FZ Pages 57 - 59. (Includes a picture).

Other sources of information about Lygodium kerstenii:

African Plant Database: Lygodium kerstenii
Biodiversity Explorer (Biodiversity of southern Africa): Lygodium kerstenii
ePIC (electronic Plant Information Center): Lygodium kerstenii
Flora Zambesiaca web site: Lygodium kerstenii
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
GRIN (Germplasm Resources Information Network) taxonomy for plants report for Lygodium kerstenii
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Lygodium kerstenii
JSTOR Plant Science: Lygodium kerstenii
Kew Herbarium catalogue: Lygodium kerstenii
Tropicos: Lygodium kerstenii
West African Plants database: Lygodium kerstenii