Skip links and keyboard navigation

Species profile—Dryopteris sparsa

Classification

Plantae (plants) → Equisetopsida (land plants) → DryopteridaceaeDryopteris 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.

More species information

Get a list of species for your area or find other wildlife information.

Licence
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
Last updated
20 May 2024