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Nephrolepis flexuosa

Geothermal Swordfern

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General Information

COMMON NAMES: Geothermal Swordfern

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE NZ (geothermal areas only) - Lord Howe - Norfolk, Fiji, Rarotonga (probably Indian Ocean - Cooks - ?)

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; S.Group only (Rarotonga only); Land, mountains (+)

SIMILAR SPECIES: Nephrolepis cordifolia has root tubers (vs. without tubers); large spores (vs. small); chromosome number 2n=164 (vs. 2n=82).

Enlarged Image of 'Nephrolepis flexuosa'

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

Southern Group: Present Makatea: -
RR	MG	AT	MK	MT	AK	PL	TK	MN
P	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Northern Group: -
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW
-	-	-	-	-	-

Key to Symbols

blank	no data
-	absent	L	localised
X	extinct 'naturally'	W	widespread
XQi	quarantine intercepted	R	recent
XQe	eradicated	?	query preceding category
P	present	T?	taxonomic query
S	seasonal	nn	present, said to have no name
O	occasional	?1	present, name not investigated
++++	very common	?2	presence not verified, no name recorded
+++	common	N/A	absent, name not expected
++	uncommon
+	rare
Cook Islands islands: RR =Rarotonga, MG = Mangaia, AT =‘Ātiu, MK=Ma‘uke, MT=Miti‘āro, AK=Aitutaki, PL=Palmerston, PN=Penrhyn, MN=Manuae, TK=Takūtea, TN=Tongareva (TS=Tongaleva Spoken, TW=Tongareva Written, they say "el" but write "r"), MH=Manihiki, RK=Rakahanga, PK=Pukapuka, NS=Nassau, SW=Suwarrow. After a Polynesian name: ^=orthography query. Countries and other: FIJ=Fiji, WT=Wallis & Futuna, SAM=Samoa, TON=Tonga, NIU=Niue, CK=Cook Islands, CKM=Cook Islands Māori, FP=French Polynesia, AUS=Australs, SOC=Societies, TAH=Tahiti, TUA=Tuamotus, MQS=Marquesas, MNG=Mangareva, PIT=Pitcain group, EAS=Easter Island, HAW=Hawai‘i, NZ=New Zealand, NZM=New Zealand Māori

Scientific Taxonomy

Nephrolepis flexuosa Colenso
SYNONYMS: Nephrolepis aff. cordifolia [of NZ authors]

TAXONOMY: PLANTAE; PTERIDOPHYTA (=Pterophyta); Aspidiales; OLEANDRACEAE

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Rarotonga: specimen, Papua above Papua Waterfall, 2005/5, Peter de Lange with ID as Nephrolepis flexuosa, pers.comm. B.Sykes 2006/7.

References:
Special Reference: de Lange, P.J.; Gardner, R.O.; Crowcroft, G.M.; Stalker, F.; Cameron, E.K.; Braggins, J.E; Christian, M.L. 2005: Vascular flora of Norfolk Island: some additions and taxonomic notes. New Zealand Journal of Botany 43(2): 563-596.

Data Update History (information):
zB06b

Web Resources

Citation Information

McCormack, Gerald (2007) Cook Islands Biodiversity Database, Version 2007.2. Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga. Online at http://cookislands.bishopmuseum.org.
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