Dendroconche annabellae
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| Dendroconche annabellae | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Division: | Polypodiophyta |
| Class: | Polypodiopsida |
| Order: | Polypodiales |
| Suborder: | Polypodiineae |
| Family: | Polypodiaceae |
| Genus: | Dendroconche |
| Species: | D. annabellae |
| Binomial name | |
| Dendroconche annabellae (H.O.Forbes) Copel.[1] | |
| Synonyms[1][2] | |
| |
Dendroconche annabellae is a species of fern in the family Polypodiaceae, subfamily Microsoroideae.[3] It is endemic to Papua New Guinea.[2]
Dendroconche annabellae has a partially epiphytic habit. It grows from long, creeping rhizomes, that are flattened from top to bottom and have occasional cavities. The rhizomes have dark brown scales, 4–7 mm long and 1.5–2.5 mm wide. Two kinds of root are produced by the rhizomes. Lateral roots clasp the tree on which the plant is growing. Roots emerging from the underside of the rhizome enter the soil. Leaves that do not produce spores (sterile leaves) are more or less circular in outline, 8–12 cm across, with at most a very short petiole, and are tightly pressed against the trunk of the supporting tree. The spore-bearing leaves (fertile leaves) have the same shape at the base, but then have a long narrow "tail", up to 28 cm long and 1 cm across, which curves away from the tree trunk and bears the round sori in a single row. All the leaves have prominent veins.[1]
The shape of the fertile leaves distinguishes D. annabellae from the related D. kingii and D. linguiforme. Fertile leaves of D. kingii have a wider "tail", 2–5 cm wide rather than less than 1.5 cm wide. The fertile leaves of D. kingii lack the conspicuously rounded basal portion, being lanceolate or with a narrowed central portion.[1]