Asplenium smedsii Pic. Serm.

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Photo: Petra Ballings
Zovo Chipolo Forest, Nyika National Park

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Description:	Rhizome short, erect, rhizome scales chestnut-brown, triangular in outline, apex long-attenuate, margin entire or fimbriate-lobed, ending in hair-tip, up to 11 × 4 mm. Fronds tufted, thin, erect, olive-green, not proliferous. Stipe matt brown, sometimes green beneath, 8–30 cm long, with dense scales near base, otherwise with scattered narrowly triangular scales to 10 × 3 mm. Lamina elliptic to oblong-elliptic in outline, 18–47 × 7–15(–24) cm, 1-pinnate; lower pinnae slightly smaller, apical pinnae gradually decrescent. Pinnae in 14–24 pairs, equidistant, stalked, triangular or lanceolate-triangular in outline, (2–)4–8(–12) × (0.7–)1.2–1.6 cm, base unequal, the acroscopic base broadly cuneate, the basiscopic base narrowly cuneate-excised, margin deeply serrate with often bifid teeth, apex long-attenuate, glabrous above, sparsely scaly beneath. Rhachis brown, with two narrow green lines, with sparse scales. Sori many per pinna, at a 45° angle to the costa, elliptic, 2.5–6 mm long; indusium membranous, entire.
Notes:
Derivation of specific name:	smedsii: named after H. Smeds, who collected many ferns during his travels in south and south-western Ethiopia.
Habitat:	Montane forest.
Altitude range:
Worldwide distribution:	Burundi, DRC, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda.
Growth form(s):	Epiphyte.
Endemic status:
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Spot characters:	Display spot characters for this species
Literature:	Beentje, H.J. (2008). Aspleniaceae Flora of Tropical East Africa Pages 32 - 33. (Includes a picture). Burrows, J.E. & Burrows, S.M. (1993). An annotated check-list of the pteridophytes of Malawi Kirkia 14(1) Page 91. Burrows, J.E. & Willis, C.K. (eds) (2005). Plants of the Nyika Plateau Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 31 SABONET, Pretoria Page 27. 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 26. Fisher E. & Lobin W. (2024). Checklist of Lycopodiopsida (clubmosses and quillworts) and Polypodiopsida (ferns) of Rwanda. Willdenowia 53(3) Page 158. Fisher, E. & Lobin, W. (2023). Synoptic Revision of Aspleniaceae (Asplenium, Hymenasplenium) of Rwanda. Phytotaxa 608 (1) Page 44. Roux, J.P. (2001). Conspectus of Southern African Pteridophyta. Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report 13 Page 171. Roux, J.P. (2009). Synopsis of the Lycopodiophyta and Pteridophyta of Africa, Madagascar and neighbouring islands Page 97.

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African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Asplenium smedsii
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Asplenium smedsii
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Asplenium smedsii
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iNaturalist: Asplenium smedsii
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Asplenium smedsii
JSTOR Plant Science: Asplenium smedsii
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Asplenium smedsii
Plants of the World Online: Asplenium smedsii
Tropicos: Asplenium smedsii
Wikipedia: Asplenium smedsii