Asplenium praemorsum Sw., Prodr.

Kessler, Michael & Smith, Alan R., 2018, Prodromus of a fern flora for Bolivia. XXIX. Aspleniaceae, Phytotaxa 344 (3), pp. 259-280 : 259-280

Asplenium praemorsum Sw., Prodr. 130. 1788.

Range:— Antilles; Mexico to Brazil and Argentina. In Bolivia, in CH, CO, LP, SC, and TA.

Ecology:— Common; epiphytic, less commonly saxicolous and rarely terrestrial, in semihumid forests; poikilohydric, drying out in dry periods and absorbing rain water directly through the leaves ( Wiggins 1946); 600– 3700 m. In northeastern Argentina, it shows a preference for growing on Podocarpus parlatorei Pilg. ( Malizia 2003) .

Notes:— Most easily confused with1-pinnate A.dimidiatum .Often considered to be conspecific with A.aethiopicum (Burm.f.) Bech. from the Old World tropics ( Braithwaite 1986), and in some areas (e.g., Hawai’i, southeastern Asia, Malesia, Melanesia, and Polynesia) A. aethiopicum plants appear indistinguishable from A. praemorsum . Asplenium aethiopicum has priority, if the two species are combined.

Asplenium lividum Mett. ex Kuhn from Venezuela, Peru, and Africa may occur in Bolivia. It is very similar to A. praemorsum in blade architecture, texture, venation, and sori, but has small, orangish rhizome scales (vs. long, dark scales) and only microscopically visible (vs. long, dark) blade scales.