Lygodium hians E.Fournier (Pteridophyta, Schizaeales) – an endemic unusual ground- clothing member of a modern climbing fern genus in New Caledonia Christopher N. PAGE Environment, Camborne School of Mines, University of Exeter Cornwall Campus, Tremough, Penryn,Cornwall TR10 9EZ (United Kingdom)
[email protected] Margaret E. COLLINSON Department of Earth Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, Surrey, TW20 0EX (United Kingdom)
[email protected] Johanna H. A. VAN KONIJNENBURG-VAN CITTERT Utrecht University, Laboratory of Palaeobotany and Palynology, Budapestlaan 4, 3584 CD Utrecht (The Netherlands) and Naturalis Biodiversity Center, P.O. Box 9517, 2300 RA Leiden (The Netherlands)
[email protected] [email protected] Page C. N., Collinson M. E. & Van Konijnenburg-Van Cittert J. H. A. 2014. — Lygodium hians E.Fournier (Pteridophyta, Schizaeales) – an endemic unusual ground-clothing member of a modern climbing fern genus in New Caledonia. Adansonia, sér. 3, 36 (1): 21-43. http://dx.doi. org/10.5252/a2014n1a3 ABSTRACT A colony of a fern, Lygodium hians E.Fournier (Schizaeales), studied on the southwest Pacific Island of New Caledonia, displays a growth form unusual for any member of this genus. Other living species of the genus Lygodium Sw. are characterized by twining fronds, with indefinite growth, which climb extensively on the support provided by other nearby vegetation. These fronds can arise from as early as the sporeling stage and fulfil both vegetative and reproductive functions, with spores produced in lateral sorophores in the upper parts of the fronds. By contrast, in L. hians, climbing fronds are only rarely produced and these carry terminal to subterminal sorophores.