Plants of
South Australia
Pleurosorus rutifolius
Aspleniaceae
Blanket Fern
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Regional Species Conservation Assessments per IBRA subregion.
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Near threatened
Rare
Vulnerable
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Adelaide
Arkaroola
Ceduna
Coober Pedy
Hawker
Innamincka
Marla
Marree
Mount Gambier
Oodnadatta
Renmark
Wudinna
Keith
Yunta
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Botanical art

Kath Alcock painting: 1.

Etymology

Pleurosorus from the Greek 'pleura' meaning side and 'soros' meaning a heap, referring to the position of the sori (spore bearing structures) along the sides of the veins. rutifolius meaning leaves like ?

Distribution and status

Found in the wetter parts of South Australia, growing on banks and in rock crevices, often in open situations. Also found in all States. Native. Common in South Australia. Common in the other states.
Herbarium regions: North Western, Lake Eyre, Nullarbor, Gairdner-Torrens, Flinders Ranges, Eastern, Eyre Peninsula, Northern Lofty, Murray, Southern Lofty, Kangaroo Island, South Eastern, Green Adelaide
NRM regions: Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges, Alinytjara Wilurara, Eyre Peninsula, Kangaroo Island, Northern and Yorke, South Australian Arid Lands, South Australian Murray-Darling Basin, South East
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)

Plant description

Lithophytic ferns with semi-erect fronds. Rhizome erect, scaly. Stipe and rachis pale chestnut-brown at base, green above; very densely covered in pale brown hairs. Leaves 1-2 pinnate, narrowly elliptic, to 15 cm long and 45 mm wide; brownish green, densely covered in pale brown hairs. Primary pinnae in 3-10 pairs, flabellate to ovate or broadly ovate; bases unequally cuneate, shortly stalked; margins dentate to entire; apices obtuse to rounded; longest pinnae near middle, to 23 mm long, and 22 mm wide, divided into secondary pinnae up to 10 mm long and 9 mm wide in largest specimens. Sori to 5 mm long. Perispores non-perforate with fimbriate broad ridges. Fruits are golden brown sori along the edge on the underside of the fronds. Seeds are very fine golden brown spores.

Seed collection and propagation

Collect fronds containing sori. Shake fronds to dislodge the spores onto a clean piece of paper. Store spores in liquid nitrogen.