Megalastrum nanum R.C.Moran, J.Prado & Sundue, Amer. Fern J.

Kessler, Michael, Moran, Robbin C., Mickel, John T., Matos, Fernando B. & Smith, Alan R., 2018, Prodromus of a fern flora for Bolivia. XXXV. Dryopteridaceae, Phytotaxa 353 (1), pp. 448-450 : 448-450

Megalastrum nanum R.C.Moran, J.Prado & Sundue, Amer. Fern J. 104(3): 173, figs. 2E, 8A, 32B.

Range: — Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia (SC, TA).

Ecology: —Known from only five collections from the three Andean countries; terrestrial in evergreen forests; 1700–2100 m.

Notes: —This is one of the smaller, decompound species in the genus, with leaves to 1 m long, and less than 75 cm long in the four specimens seen; blades are <50 cm long. The costal scales are darkened at the tips and prominantly toothed along the margins, along with numerous long septate hairs to 2 mm on the costae, costules, and veins abaxially; this is much the same as the indument in M. fugaceum . One wonders whether M. nanum might not be a precociously fertile version of M. fugaceum? All four collections seen of M. nanum were first determined as M. pulverulentum , another very close relative (see under M. ciliatum and M. fugaceum for further comments).