Nephrolepis undulata
Content
Description
Habit, rhizome morphology.
Hairs on lamina frequently present (very inconspicuous), on costa absent.
Distribution
Asia present, Asia-Tropical: Philippines (Philippines present), Luzon present, Northern India present
Worldwide. In Asia there is a distinct distributional centre from Indochina to Northern India; in Malesia: Philippines (Luzon).
Notes
1. The name N. undulata has been applied traditionally to the form occurring in Africa, which is relatively robust. The smaller forms from Asia have often been named N. delicatula, while the forms from the Americas were distinguished as N. occidentalis.
2. Nephrolepis undulata is distinct from N. cordifolia by the seasonal mode of growth, with new fronds sprouting each season from underground tubers. In most cases, no more than two well-developed fronds develop in a single season, and in many cases collections contain only plants with a single frond. Apart from this characteristic growth form, this species can usually also be distinguished from N. cordifolia by the more glabrous stipe and rhachis, the basal part of which is often conspicuously thicker than in N. cordifolia, and the, especially in comparison to the stipe, thin runners originating from the rhizome bud.
2. Nephrolepis undulata is distinct from N. cordifolia by the seasonal mode of growth, with new fronds sprouting each season from underground tubers. In most cases, no more than two well-developed fronds develop in a single season, and in many cases collections contain only plants with a single frond. Apart from this characteristic growth form, this species can usually also be distinguished from N. cordifolia by the more glabrous stipe and rhachis, the basal part of which is often conspicuously thicker than in N. cordifolia, and the, especially in comparison to the stipe, thin runners originating from the rhizome bud.