Synonyms: Aspidium wallichianum Spreng.; A. filixmas Sw. var. paral/elogrammum sensu Hillebr., non Kunze; A. pa/eaceum sensu auct., non D. Don; A. parallelogrammum sensu auct., non Kunze; Dryopteris filixmas (L.) Schott var. paralelogramma (Kunze) Underw.; D. paleacea sensu W. J. Rob., non Sw.; D. parallelogramma sensu auct., non (Kunze) Alston; Lastrea truncata Brack.
Common names: 'i'o nui, laukahi
Indigenous
Name honors Nathania! Wallich (1786-1854), Danish physician and botanist, superintendent of the Calcutta Botanical Garden, and plant collector in Singapore, Malaysia, Assam, South Africa, and India.
Plants medium-sized to large, terrestrial. Rhizomes erect to decumbent, up to 45 cm long, retaining old stipes. Fronds arranged in a shuttlecock shape on apexes of rhizomes, up to 1.5 m long. Stipes about 1/3 frond length; scales densely covering entire stipes, linear-lanceolate, reddish to brown, shiny. Blades mostly 1-pinnate-pinnatisect, elliptical to lanceolate, dark green above, light green below, coriaceous; rachises covered with scales like those on stipes. Pinnae 20-45 pairs, linear to linear-lanceolate, middle pinnae 5.5-15 cm long, several basal pinnae tapering to 1/3-1/2 1ength of middle pinnae, medial and lower pinnae not overlapping. Ultimate segments slightly falcate, 8-12 x 3-5 mm, completely adnate, unlobed, lateral margins entire, tips truncate with small teeth. Veins free, pinnate, depressed on adaxial surface, conspicuous abaxially. Sori medial, mostly 2-4 pairs per segment, usually limited to distal 1/2 of blade. Indusia reniform.
Often found in mesic forests and open areas, 850-2,740 m, on all major islands except Lana'i. On O'ahu one small population is in the southern Wai 'anae Mountains. On Hawai 'i Island Dryopteris wallichiana is a major ground cover in shaded and open areas in mesic montane areas. Dryopteris wallichiana is also native to Madagascar, Africa, India, Nepal, China, Japan, and the Americas from Mexico to Argentina.
Dryopteris wallichiana, a 1-pinnate fern, may be recognized by the shuttlecock arrangement of its fronds that radiate from the rhizome at a 45° angle; stipes and rachises heavily covered with reddish brown to brown, linear-lanceolate scales; and the gradually diminishing length of several basal pinnae.
Development of the Consortium of Pacific Herbaria and several of the specimen databases have been
supported by National Science Foundation Grants (BRC 1057303,
ADBC 1304924
and ADBC1115116).
Data Usage Policy. Continued support provided by the Symbiota Support Hub, a domain of iDigBio (NSF Award #2027654).
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