Asplenium cimmeriorum, a new fern species from New Zealand

Abstract

Asplenium cimmeriorum sp. nov. is described from the Waitomo district in the North Island and from the Oparara Valley and north Westland in the South Island. It is an octoploid species which grows in lowland sites on calcareous substrates in high rainfall areas. In the North Island it is largely confined to cave entrances and limestone walls, favouring sites of very low light intensity. In the South Island it extends also into forest, growing on rotting logs, roots, and rock. It is morphologically close to both Asplenium hookerianum and A. bulbiferum subsp. gracillimum, and is known to hybridise with A. bulbiferum. It is suggested that it may be an allopolyploid species with A. hookerianum as one parent. Asplenium hookerianum is apparently absent from the regions now occupied by A. cimmeriorum, and may have been displaced by a species better adapted to high rainfall and low light habitats on calcareous soils. The conservation status of A. cimmeriorum is discussed and it is recommended for classification as a “local” species.

Keywords:

• ferns
• Aspleniaceae
• Asplenium
• Asplenium cimmeriorum
• Asplenium hookerianum
• Asplenium bulbiferum
• plant taxonomy
• new species
• hybrids
• description
• illustrations
• distributions
• ecology
• conservation status
• New Zealand