FNA: Asplenium monanthes vs. Asplenium serratum

	Asplenium monanthes	Asplenium serratum
	single-sorus fern, single-sorus spleenwort	American bird's-nest fern, new world bird's-nest fern, wild birdnest fern
Roots	not proliferous.	proliferous.
Stems	erect, unbranched; scales black with lighter margins, linear-lanceolate, 3–6 × 0.4–0.8 mm, margins entire.	erect, unbranched; scales brown throughout, narrowly lanceolate, 5–10 × 1–1.5 mm, margins entire.
Leaves	monomorphic.	monomorphic.
Petiole	reddish brown throughout, lustrous, 1–12(–20) cm, 1/3–1/10 length of blade; indument of black filiform scales.	vestigial.
Blade	linear, 1-pinnate throughout, 5–25(–40) × 1–2.5(–3) cm, thick, glabrous; base gradually tapered; apex acute, not rooting.	linear, oblanceolate, simple, (10–)20–40(–70) × 3–8 cm, thick, glabrous; base gradually tapered; margins entire to irregularly crenate; apex attenuate, not rooting.
Pinnae	in 10–40 pairs, oblong to quadrangular, somewhat asymmetric; medial pinnae 4–15 × 2–5 mm; base rounded to cuneate; margins crenulate or ± entire; apex obtuse.
Veins	free, obscure.	numerous, free, mostly immersed.
Sori	1(–3) per pinna, only on basiscopic side.	parallel to each other, nearly perpendicular to midrib.
Spores	32 per sporangium.	64 per sporangium.
Rachis	reddish brown throughout, lustrous, glabrous.	green throughout, dull, glabrous.
n	= 2n = 108 (apogamous).
2n		= 144.

	Asplenium monanthes	Asplenium serratum
Habitat	Rock	Rotten logs and stumps
Elevation	50–1000 m (200–3300 ft)	0–50 m (0–200 ft)
Distribution	AL; AZ; NC; SC; HI; Mexico; Central America; West Indies in Hispaniola; Jamaica; South America to n Argentina; Africa including Madagascar; Madeira; Réunion; Tristan da Cunha [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]	FL [BONAP county map]
Discussion		Asplenium serratum is found rarely in southern peninsular Florida, where it is at the extreme edge of its tropical American range. This large simple-leaved spleenwort is called "American bird's-nest fern" because of its superficial resemblance to the Old World A. nidus Linnaeus, which is regularly grown in temperate conservatories. Asplenium serratum is unusual in having roots with abundant, matted hairs rather than scattered hairs as found in other species. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source	FNA vol. 2.	FNA vol. 2.
Parent taxa	Aspleniaceae > Asplenium	Aspleniaceae > Asplenium
Sibling taxa	A. abscissum, A. adiantum-nigrum, A. adulterinum, A. auritum, A. bradleyi, A. cristatum, A. dalhousiae, A. ebenoides, A. exiguum, A. heterochroum, A. montanum, A. palmeri, A. pinnatifidum, A. platyneuron, A. plenum, A. pumilum, A. resiliens, A. rhizophyllum, A. ruta-muraria, A. scolopendrium, A. septentrionale, A. serratum, A. trichomanes, A. trichomanes-dentatum, A. trichomanes-ramosum, A. verecundum, A. vespertinum, A. ×biscayneanum, A. ×curtissii, A. ×heteroresiliens	A. abscissum, A. adiantum-nigrum, A. adulterinum, A. auritum, A. bradleyi, A. cristatum, A. dalhousiae, A. ebenoides, A. exiguum, A. heterochroum, A. monanthes, A. montanum, A. palmeri, A. pinnatifidum, A. platyneuron, A. plenum, A. pumilum, A. resiliens, A. rhizophyllum, A. ruta-muraria, A. scolopendrium, A. septentrionale, A. trichomanes, A. trichomanes-dentatum, A. trichomanes-ramosum, A. verecundum, A. vespertinum, A. ×biscayneanum, A. ×curtissii, A. ×heteroresiliens
Name authority	Linnaeus: Mant. Pl. 1: 130. (1767)	Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 1079. (1753)
Web links	WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search	WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search

Asplenium serratum

single-sorus fern, single-sorus spleenwort

American bird's-nest fern, new world bird's-nest fern, wild birdnest fern

Roots

not proliferous.

proliferous.

Stems

erect, unbranched;

scales black with lighter margins, linear-lanceolate, 3–6 × 0.4–0.8 mm, margins entire.

erect, unbranched;

scales brown throughout, narrowly lanceolate, 5–10 × 1–1.5 mm, margins entire.

Leaves

monomorphic.

Petiole

reddish brown throughout, lustrous, 1–12(–20) cm, 1/3–1/10 length of blade;

indument of black filiform scales.

vestigial.

Blade

linear, 1-pinnate throughout, 5–25(–40) × 1–2.5(–3) cm, thick, glabrous;

base gradually tapered;

apex acute, not rooting.

linear, oblanceolate, simple, (10–)20–40(–70) × 3–8 cm, thick, glabrous;

base gradually tapered;

margins entire to irregularly crenate;

apex attenuate, not rooting.

Pinnae

in 10–40 pairs, oblong to quadrangular, somewhat asymmetric;

medial pinnae 4–15 × 2–5 mm;

base rounded to cuneate;

margins crenulate or ± entire;

apex obtuse.

Veins

free, obscure.

numerous, free, mostly immersed.

Sori

1(–3) per pinna, only on basiscopic side.

parallel to each other, nearly perpendicular to midrib.

Spores

32 per sporangium.

64 per sporangium.

Rachis

reddish brown throughout, lustrous, glabrous.

green throughout, dull, glabrous.

= 2n = 108 (apogamous).

= 144.

Asplenium serratum

Habitat

Rock

Rotten logs and stumps

Elevation

50–1000 m (200–3300 ft)

0–50 m (0–200 ft)

Distribution

AL; AZ; NC; SC; HI; Mexico; Central America; West Indies in Hispaniola; Jamaica; South America to n Argentina; Africa including Madagascar; Madeira; Réunion; Tristan da Cunha

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

Discussion

Asplenium serratum is found rarely in southern peninsular Florida, where it is at the extreme edge of its tropical American range. This large simple-leaved spleenwort is called "American bird's-nest fern" because of its superficial resemblance to the Old World A. nidus Linnaeus, which is regularly grown in temperate conservatories. Asplenium serratum is unusual in having roots with abundant, matted hairs rather than scattered hairs as found in other species.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source

FNA vol. 2.

Parent taxa

Aspleniaceae > Asplenium

Sibling taxa

A. abscissum, A. adiantum-nigrum, A. adulterinum, A. auritum, A. bradleyi, A. cristatum, A. dalhousiae, A. ebenoides, A. exiguum, A. heterochroum, A. montanum, A. palmeri, A. pinnatifidum, A. platyneuron, A. plenum, A. pumilum, A. resiliens, A. rhizophyllum, A. ruta-muraria, A. scolopendrium, A. septentrionale, A. serratum, A. trichomanes, A. trichomanes-dentatum, A. trichomanes-ramosum, A. verecundum, A. vespertinum, A. ×biscayneanum, A. ×curtissii, A. ×heteroresiliens

A. abscissum, A. adiantum-nigrum, A. adulterinum, A. auritum, A. bradleyi, A. cristatum, A. dalhousiae, A. ebenoides, A. exiguum, A. heterochroum, A. monanthes, A. montanum, A. palmeri, A. pinnatifidum, A. platyneuron, A. plenum, A. pumilum, A. resiliens, A. rhizophyllum, A. ruta-muraria, A. scolopendrium, A. septentrionale, A. trichomanes, A. trichomanes-dentatum, A. trichomanes-ramosum, A. verecundum, A. vespertinum, A. ×biscayneanum, A. ×curtissii, A. ×heteroresiliens

Name authority

Linnaeus: Mant. Pl. 1: 130. (1767)

Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 1079. (1753)

Web links

Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).

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Flora of North America species comparison

Asplenium monanthes

Asplenium serratum

Asplenium monanthes

Asplenium serratum