Campyloneurum phyllitidis

Campyloneurum phyllitidis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Phylum:	Pteridophyta
Class:	Polypodiopsida / Pteridopsida (disputed)
Order:	Polypodiales
Family:	Polypodiaceae
Genus:	Campyloneurum
Species:	C. phyllitidis
Binomial name
Campyloneurum phyllitidis (L.) C.Presl.
Synonyms
Cyrtophlebium phyllitidis (L.) J. Sm. Polypodium comosum L. Polypodium conjugatum Poir Polypodium gladiatum Vell. Polypodium levigatum var. rigidum Harr. Polypodium parallelinerve Desv. Polypodium phyllitidis L. Polypodium phyllitidis var. elongatum Hieron. Polypodium phyllitidis var. linneanum Hook. Polypodium phyllitidis var. swartzianum Griseb. Polypodium simplicifolium Salisb.[1]

Campyloneurum phyllitidis, commonly known as the long strap fern,^[2] is a species of fern in the Polypodiaceae family. It is an epiphyte, growing on other plants; generally the fern is found growing in the canopies of trees. It has a relatively large rhizome from which many fine rootlets covered in dark reddish-brown scales grow. Its leaves are simple in shape, hairless, 45–100 centimetres (18–39 in) long and 8–12 centimetres (3.1–4.7 in) wide. The sori are round and small, occurring in on both sides of lateral veins of the leaves.^[3]

Distribution

A close up of the leaves of Campyloneurum phyllitidis with sori visible on their underside

Campyloneurum phyllitidis is found in Central and South America, from Mexico in the North to Peru in the South and including Panama, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and the West Indies.^[3] It is also present in Florida, Puerto Rico, Hawaii and the Virgin Islands.^[4] The fern is common on Barro Colorado Island, Panama^[3] and is known to grow on Platypodium elegans, Ceiba pentandra, Tabebuia guayacan, Anacardium excelsum,^[5] Socratea exorrhiza, Marila laxiflora and Perebea xanthochyma.^[6]

Uses

Campyloneurum phyllitidis can be cultivated, and is the most common species of Campyloneurum found in cultivation. The fern grows well in well-drained soil under medium levels of light. It needs to be protected from slugs and snails.^[7] Campyloneurum phyllitidis was grown in the UK during the Victorian era, when ferns were particularly popular (the phenomenon known as pteridomania); the fern was described by an author of the time, Shirley Hibberd, as being "very distinct" and that it formed a "striking object when grown well".^[8]

References

1. "Campyloneurum phyllitidis (L.) C. Presl". The Plant List. Retrieved 2011-02-20.
2. Wunderlin, R. P., and B. F. Hansen (2008). "Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants - Campyloneurum phyllitidis". Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa. Retrieved 2010-02-20.
3. Thomas B. Croat (1978). Flora of Barro Colorado Island. Stanford University Press. pp. 103–. ISBN 978-0-8047-0950-7. Retrieved 20 February 2011.
4. "Campyloneurum phyllitidis (L.) C. Presl". USDA Plants. Retrieved 2010-02-20.
5. Jose Luis Andrade and Park S. Nobel (1997). "Microhabitats and Water Relations of Epiphytic Cacti and Ferns in a Lowland Neotropical Forest". Biotropica 29 (3): 261–270. doi:10.2307/2389141. JSTOR 2389141.
6. Laube, S.; Zotz, G. (2006). "Neither Host-specific nor Random: Vascular Epiphytes on Three Tree Species in a Panamanian Lowland Forest". Annals of Botany 97 (6): 1103–14. doi:10.1093/aob/mcl067. PMC 2803392. PMID 16574691.
7. Barbara Joe Hoshizaki; Robbin Craig Moran (2001). Fern grower's manual. Timber Press. pp. 231–. ISBN 978-0-88192-495-4. Retrieved 20 February 2011.
8. Shirley Hibberd (1869). The fern garden: how to make, keep, and enjoy it ; or, Fern culture made easy. Groombridge and Sons. pp. 107–. Retrieved 20 February 2011.