Parablechnum gregsonii, synonym Blechnum gregsonii,[1] is a type of fern, mostly seen in the Illawarra and Blue Mountains areas of eastern Australia, often near waterfalls and moist gullies.
| Parablechnum gregsonii | |
|---|---|
| |
| Growing below a waterfall near Lawson, New South Wales, Australia | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Division: | Polypodiophyta |
| Class: | Polypodiopsida |
| Order: | Polypodiales |
| Suborder: | Aspleniineae |
| Family: | Blechnaceae |
| Genus: | Parablechnum |
| Species: | P. gregsonii
|
| Binomial name | |
| Parablechnum gregsonii | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
Description edit
Parablechnum gregsonii is a fern with a creeping rhizome and pendent, mostly pinnate fronds 30–80 cm (10–30 in) long. The pinnae are bright green, mostly 7–15 cm (3–6 in) long with coarse teeth near the tips.[2]
Taxonomy and naming edit
This species was first formally described in 1915 by William Walter Watts from a specimen collected by "Mr Jesse Gregson...in 1902" and given the name Blechnum capense var. gregsonii. The description was published in the Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales.[3][4] The specific epithet (gregsonii) honours Edward Jesse Gregson who collected the type specimen "on a wet ledge in the face of a perpendicular cliff overlooking a permanent creek in a gully at the base of Green Mountain, a little on the Bell side of Mount Wilson."[4] In 1960, Mary Tindale elevated the variety to the species Blechnum gregsonii.[5] In the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I), this species is placed in the genus Parablechnum.[6]
Distribution and habitat edit
This fern occurs in the Blue Mountains and ranges of the Illawarra region, where it grows in cool rainforest, often in damp places near waterfalls.[2]
References edit
- ^ a b c Hassler, Michael & Schmitt, Bernd (November 2019). "Parablechnum gregsonii". Checklist of Ferns and Lycophytes of the World. 8.11. Retrieved 2019-12-24.
- ^ a b Wilson, Peter G. "Blechnum gregsonii". Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. Retrieved 12 November 2018.
- ^ "Blechnum capense var. gregsonii". APNI. Retrieved 12 November 2018.
- ^ a b Watts, William Walter (1915). "Notes on Blechnum capense". Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales. 49: 125–126. Retrieved 12 November 2018.
- ^ "Blechnum gregsonii". APNI. Retrieved 12 November 2018.
- ^ PPG I (2016). "A community-derived classification for extant lycophytes and ferns". Journal of Systematics and Evolution. 54 (6): 563–603. doi:10.1111/jse.12229.