Crepidomanes frappieri (Cordem.) J.P.Roux

Dubuisson, Jean-Yves, Pechon, Timothée Le, Bauret, Lucie, Rouhan, Germinal, Reeb, Catherine, Boucheron-Dubuisson, Elodie, Selosse, Marc-André, Chaussidon, Cécile, Dajoz, Isabelle, Pynee, Kersley, Grangaud, Edmond, Robert, Yannis, Tamon, Jean- Maurice & Hennequin, Sabine, 2018, Disentangling the diversity and taxonomy of Hymenophyllaceae (Hymenophyllales, Polypodiidae) in the Mascarene archipelago, with ecological implications, Phytotaxa 375 (1), pp. 1-58 : 18

6. Crepidomanes frappieri (Cordem.) J.P.Roux ( Roux 2001: 45), Fig. 9C–F

Trichomanes frappieri Cordem. ( Cordemoy 1895: 32, 33). Type:— LA RÉUNION. Brûlé de St. Denis, 1891, Bédier s.n. (neotype P, P00477825!), designated by Pichi Sermolli (1983: 130, 131).

= Trichomanes ramitrichum Faden ( Faden 1977: 5). ≡ Vandenboschia ramitricha (Faden) Pic.Serm. ( Pichi Sermolli 1983: 251). Type:— KENYA. ‘ Kericho District, South West Man Forest, along the Kiptiget (Chepkoisi) River’, 12 June 1972, R.B. Faden & J. Grumbley 72/338 (holotype EA, EA000002578!; isotypes BR, BR0000008051899!, FI, FI003167!, K, K000435647!).

Short description—Epiphytic or lithophytic; long-creeping filiform rhizomes, rootless and densely covered by long, black and branched trichomes ( Fig. 9E ), bearing widely separated pending fronds; fronds conspicuously stipitate with wingless stipes, up to 15 cm long (usually less than 10 cm in La Réunion), elliptic to lanceolate, usually pinnate-pinnatifid, with sometimes, when dry, folds parallel to veins; sori few to numerous, paratactic, cylindrical to campanulate with a slightly dilated mouth to clearly developed lips, receptacle long-exerted and with sporangia often protruding outside the indusium ( Fig. 9F ).

Global distribution—Central Africa to western Indian Ocean.

Current distribution in Mascarenes— La Réunion.

Ecology—Epiphytic and more often lithophytic on shaded, wet rocks on La Réunion, in rainforests and wet ravines on the eastern side at low elevations (50–1,000 m), and also in wet ravines of the western side in semi-dry forest remnants. Outside of La Réunion, and especially in continental Africa, the species seems to occur at higher elevations, from submontane forests up to 2,000 m ( Kornaś 1994).

Specimens examined— LA RÉUNION. Bras Panon, 2010, Y. Robert 1290 (private collection) ; Les Canots , September 2009, J.- M. Tamon 456 (private collection) ; Grand Bassin , November 2012, J.- M. Tamon 910 (private collection) ; Ravine les Orangers , June 2016, J.- M. Tamon 1300 (private collection) .

Note—From its gross frond shape, this species can be confused with C. inopinatum (Pic.Serm.) J.P.Roux ( Roux 2001: 45), but it exhibits long branched trichomes on the rhizome ( Fig. 9E ), which are not oberved in any other Crepidomanes species on the archipelago. Crepidomanes frappieri shares this feature with the Malagasy C.longilabiatum (Bonaparte 1925: 13, 14) J.P.Roux ( Roux 2009: 40), hence defining the section Cladotrichoma Dubuisson & Rouhan ( Dubuisson et al. 2013: 186).

Figures

FIGURE 9. A. Crepidomanes fallax (Christ) Ebihara & Dubuisson, as lithophyte on wet rock (La Réunion, ‘Rivière des Marsouins’). B. C. fallax, habit (from Madagascar, F. Rakotondrainibe 6467, P00248564). C. C. frappieri (Cordem.) J.P.Roux, covering a rock in a wet ravine (La Réunion, ‘Ravine Rivière Ste Anne’). D. C. frappieri, habit, type specimen (Bédier s.n., P00477825). E. C. frappieri, detail of long branched rhizome trichomes. F. C. frappieri, detail of sori (photographs.A, C & F: J.-M. Tamon).