Sphaerostephanos productus

Primary tabs

Sphaerostephanos productus

Description

Hairs on lower surface of rachis variable, 0.2-0.5 mm or more long, on upper surface to 1 mm long.

Distribution

Asia-Temperate: Taiwan (Taiwan present), Asia-Tropical: Philippines (Philippines present), Luzon present, Mindanao present, Orchid Island present
Malesia: Philippines (Luzon to Mindanao); Taiwan (Orchid Island only).

Notes

In 1975 I distinguished S. punctatus, with large pinnae lobed fully half-way to costa and costules at a rather broad angle, but these do not appear to be sharply distinct; such specimens occur also on Orchid Island (S.E. of Taiwan) along with others indistinguishable from the type of Nephrodium philippinense BAK. The specimen originally described by Kaulfuss has pinnae 9x0.9 cm; the type of Cyclosorus serratus Copel. 10 x 0.8 cm, the type of Nephrodium philippinense 18 x 1.4 cm; some other types come between these extremes.
The name Nephrodium basilare Presl (Epim. Bot. 258) was published as a Substitute for N. caudiculatum J. Sm. non Presl (Hook. J. Bot. 3: 411), but Smith's name was a nomen nudum, and the first valid name based on the specimens cited by Smith was N. philippinense BAK. When transferring this to Dryopteris, Christensen (1905) preferred the epithet basilaris because of the existence of Phegopteris philippinensis Mett.
Mettenius evidently did not see the Chamisso specimen (he cited Cuming LI, which I cannot trace), but he gave a fairly good description, mentioning the glands on the lower surface which no other author noticed. Hooker and Baker made no reference to Aspidium productum Kaulf. Christensen, Ching, Copeland and Reed transferred the species to other genera without describing it. When describ- ing Dryopteris producta, van Alderwerelt referred to Mettenius, but did not copy Met- tenius's description; he gave a better description under D. basilaris. Copeland misconstrued the species in his Fern Flora of the Philippines, placing it as a synonym of Nephrodium nitidulum Presl, which belongs to the genus Pneumatopteris.

Citation

K. Iwats. 1965 – In: Mem. Coll. Sci. Univ. Kyoto B: 189
v.A.v.R. 1908: Handb.: 230
v.A.v.R. 1908: Handb.: 820
Copel. 1960: Fern Fl. Philip.: 339
Copel. 1960: Fern Fl. Philip.: 366
Christ 1907 – In: Philip. J. Sci.: Bot. 186
Copel. 1960: Fern Fl. Philip.: 340
Copel. 1960: Fern Fl. Philip.: 348
Mett. 1858 – In: Farngatt.: 109
Copel. 1960: Fern Fl. Philip.: 365