Species profile—Dryopteris sparsa
Classification
Plantae (plants) → Equisetopsida (land plants) → Dryopteridaceae → Dryopteris sparsa
Species details
- Kingdom
- Plantae (plants)
- Class
- Equisetopsida (land plants)
- Family
- Dryopteridaceae
- Scientific name
- Dryopteris sparsa (Buch.-Ham. ex D.Don) Kuntze
- WildNet taxon ID
- 12039
- Nature Conservation Act 1992 (NCA) status
- Vulnerable
- Conservation significant
- Yes
- Confidential
- Yes
- Endemicity
- Native
- Pest status
- Nil
- Description
- Dryopteris sparsa is a terrestrial, lithophytic or, rarely, epiphytic fern, with erect rhizomes. The apex is scaly. The scales are ovate, 5-8 mm long, papery and pale brown in colour. The fronds are tufted. The stipe is 20-45 cm long, by 25-38 cm wide, chartaceous and dull pale green on both surfaces. The apex is abruptly acuminate. The rachis is glabrous, covered with small, elongated protuberances. The ultimate segments are 5-15 mm long and 3-10 mm in diameter. The base is asymmetrically cuneate. The margins have rounded lobes and 1 or more short teeth on the upper side of each lobe above the sinus between the lobes. The veins are forked 1-3 times. The sori is medial on the vein branches. The indusium is reniform and fawn. The fronds of D. sparsa are exceptionally brittle (Jones, 1998).
- Map
- View Map
- Habitat
- Dryopteris sparsa is located in terrestrial habitats within rainforest at high altitudes in north-eastern Queensland. Described habitat notes include; granite rocks along creek in mountain rainforest; complex tropical montane rainforest on granite; growing on top of large granite rock in heavily shaded humid area; and epiphytic, growing with mosses and Hymenophyllum (Queensland Herbarium, 2012).
- Status notes
- Dryopteris sparsa is listed as Vulnerable under the Queensland Nature Conservation Act 1992.
- Notes
- Occurs in the following Queensland pastoral districts: Cook, South Kennedy. Also occurs in the following regions: New Guinea, Malesia, China, India.
- References
- Jones, D.L. in McCarthy, P.M. (Ed) (1998). Flora of Australia 48: 416.
Queensland Herbarium (2012). Specimen label information. Queensland Herbarium. Accessed 03/04/2012. - Profile author
- Lynise Wearne (03/04/2012)
Other resources
Data source
This profile data is sourced from the QLD Wildlife Data API using the Get species by ID function used under CC-By 4.0.
https://apps.des.qld.gov.au/species/?op=getspeciesbyid&taxonid=12039.
This information is sourced from the WildNet database managed by the Queensland Department of Environment and Science.
