Class
Subclass
Order
Family
Genus
Classification
Nomenclature
Scientific Name:
Nephrolepis exaltata (L.) Schott, Gen. Fil. pl. 3 (1834)
Synonymy:
- ≡ Polypodium exaltatum L., Sp. Pl. 1326 (1753)
- ≡ Aspidium exaltatum (L.) Sw., J. Bot. (Schrader) 1800(2): 32 (1801)
- ≡ Nephrodium exaltatum (L.) R.Br., Prodr. Fl. Nov. Holland. 148 (1810)
- ≡ Hypopeltis exaltata (L.) Bory in Bélanger, Voy. Indes Or., Bot. 66 (1833)
Lectotype (selected by Alston 1933): tab. 31 in Sloane, Voy. Jamaica 1: 77 (1707)
Etymology:
Vernacular Name(s):
Boston fern; Boston lace
Recognition
Nephrolepis exaltata can be recognised by its dull, spreading scales on the rhizome and stipe bases, lack of tubers, sterile primary pinnae which are not strongly auricled acroscopically, minutely serrate pinna margins, acute pinna apices, and reniform indusia. The pinnae are generally longer and wider than those of N. cordifolia and N. flexuosa, the pinna apices are acute rather than obtuse to rounded, the margins are minutely serrate rather than lobed, and the indusia are reniform rather than lunulate. It differs from N. brownii in its scales, which are dull and spreading rather than shiny and appressed; by its pinna margins, which are minutely serrate rather than irregularly serrate to lobed; and by its sterile pinnae, which are not strongly auricled.
Distribution
North Island: Auckland.
Altitudinal range: 40–60 m.
Nephrolepis exaltata is naturalised as a casual species in a few places near Oratia in the Waitākere Ranges, Auckland.
Occurs naturally in Florida, Caribbean islands, Mexico, Panama, French Guyana and Hawai‘i (Hovenkamp & Miyamoto 2005). It is thought to be naturalised on the Canary Islands, St Helena (Hovenkamp & Miyamoto 2005), parts of southern Africa (Roux 2009) and Rarotonga (P.J. de Lange, pers. comm.).
Habitat
Nephrolepis exaltata grows on roadside banks and stream banks, probably as an escape from cultivation. Spread is assumed to be vegetative.
Biostatus
Exotic
First Record
Large (2016), Large & Farrington (2016). Voucher: UNITEC 9557, 2016.
Notes
Large & Farrington (2016) noted that Nephrolepis exaltata was widely available as a house plant in New Zealand, sold under the names Boston fern and Boston lace.
Bibliography
Alston, A.H.G. 1933: Certain ferns in Sir James Smith’s herbarium. Philippine Journal of Science 50: 175–182.
Bélanger, C.P. 1833: Voyage aux Indes Orientales. Botanique. Part II Cryptogamie. Paris.
Brown, R. 1810: Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van-Diemen. Johnson, London.
Brownsey, P.J.; Perrie, L.R. 2019: Nephrolepidaceae. In: Breitwieser, I.; Wilton, A.D. (ed.) Flora of New Zealand — Ferns and Lycophytes. Fascicle 26. Manaaki Whenua Press, Lincoln.
Hovenkamp, P.H. 1986: A monograph of the fern genus Pyrrosia (Polypodiaceae). Leiden Botanical Series 9: 1–310.
Hovenkamp, P.H.; Miyamoto, F. 2005: A conspectus of the native and naturalized species of Nephrolepis (Nephrolepidaceae) in the world. Blumea 50(2): 279–322.
Large, M.F. 2016: Introduced Nephrolepis in New Zealand. Trilepidea 149: 4–5.
Large, M.F.; Farrington, L. 2016: The Nephrolepis Boston fern complex (including Nephrolepis exaltata [L.] Schott), Nephrolepidaceae, naturalised in New Zealand. Perspectives in Biosecurity Research Series 2: 1–8.
Linnaeus, C. 1753: Species Plantarum. Impensis Laurentii Salvii, Stockholm.
Roux, J.P. 2009: Synopsis of the Lycopodiophyta and Pteridophyta of Africa, Madagascar and neighbouring islands. Strelitzia 23: 1–296.
Schott, H.W. 1834: Genera filicum. J.B. Wallishausser, Vienna.
Sloane, H. 1707: A voyage to the Islands Madera, Barbados, Nieves, S. Christophers and Jamaica. Vol. 1. London.
Swartz, O.P. 1801: Genera et species filicum ordine systematico redactarum. Journal für die Botanik (Schrader) 1800(2): 1–120.
