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Angiopteris evecta

‘Āna‘e

King Fern

Multimedia & Additional Resources

Type	Description	Download
Image:	Fronds	127KB
Image:	Sporangia of Angiopteris and Marattia	102KB
Image:	The fiddle or unfolding frond	60KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: King Fern, Giant Fern, Mule's-foot Fern

TRADITIONAL NAMES: ‘Āna‘e (RR), Na‘e / Rau Na‘e (MG), Ana‘e (AT); Other Polynesian - Nase (SAM), Nahe (TAH)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE Madagascar - Indonesia/Australia - French Polynesia

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; Land, lowlands - mountains (++++)

KEY FEATURES: A massive fern to 5m. BASE dome-like, to 50cmØ. FRONDS arise from base, to 7m; frond-stalk without a distinct bend at first side-branch. SIDE-BRANCHES (=pinnae) mainly alternate, sometimes basal ones are subopposite or opposite; to XXcm, with many leaflets, to 150x25mm; sporangia are clustered in short double-rows without a covering.

SIMILAR SPECIES: Potato Fern (Marattia salicina) is smaller, fronds to 2m (vs. to 7m); side-branches are oppoiste (vs. mainly alternate); sporangia are in a long envelope (vs. exposed)

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

Southern Group: Present Makatea: Present
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

Angiopteris evecta (Forst.)
SYNONYMS: Angiopteris longifolia [a South Pacific species]

TAXONOMY: PLANTAE; PTERIDOPHYTA (=Pterophyta); Marattiales; MARATTIACEAE

More Information

GENERAL NOTE: Fleshy rhizome formerly used as a famine food. (Savage62)

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
None Recorded.

References:
p.7 Neal - In Gardens of Hawaii
p.433 Tropica
p.355c Whistler - Ethnobotany of the Cook Islands
p.115 McCormack/Kunzle - Rarotonga's Mountain Tracks and Plants

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM04b, zD02, zupD04b

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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