Flora of North America species comparison

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Tectaria fimbriata

Tectaria coriandrifolia

least halberd fern

hairy halberd fern, hattie bauer's halberd fern
Stems

horizontal, short-creeping.

decumbent, compact.
Petiole

straw-colored, 1–3 times length of blade, hairs absent abaxially, pubescent adaxially, base scaly;

scales lanceolate to linear, 1–3 × 0.3–0.5 mm.

tan to reddish brown, often shorter than to rarely equaling blade, pubescent on both surfaces, scaly;

scales narrowly deltate or lanceolate, 2–5 × 0.1–0.2 mm.
Blade

deltate to pentagonal, 1-pinnate or ternately lobed, 5–10 × 3–7 cm.

lanceolate to oblong, 1-pinnate-pinnatifid, 5–12 × 2.5–10 cm.
Pinnae

absent or 1(–2) pair, or blade shallowly pinnatifid, 4–7 cm, base rounded, without proliferous buds in axils.

1–8 pairs, margins crenate to pinnatifid, 1.2–5 cm, base rounded, often with proliferous buds in axils.
Indusia

peltate.

round-reniform, attached at sinus.
Rachis

and costae pubescent abaxially.

and costae pubescent abaxially.
Areoles

rarely with included veinlets.

lacking included veinlets.
2n

= 80.

= 80 (Jamaica).

Tectaria fimbriata

Tectaria coriandrifolia
Habitat Sinkholes, on shaded ledges or occasionally in sun Sinkholes, rock, ledges, crevices
Elevation 0 m (0 ft) 0 m (0 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
FL; Mexico in Yucatán; West Indies in Bahamas; Greater Antilles
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
FL; West Indies in Cuba; Jamaica
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

The hybrid between Tectaria fimbriata and T. coriandrifolia is T. × amesiana A. A. Eaton. Although intermediate between the two parents, the hybrid will lead to T. fimbriata in the key. The hybrid may be distinguished from T. fimbriata by scattered hairs on abaxial surface of petioles and misshapen spores.

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

Tectaria coriandrifolia is known in North America only from southernmost Florida; it has not been seen there for several years and is perhaps extirpated. It hybridizes with Tectaria fimbriata to form T. × amesiana A. A. Eaton [Aspidium trifoliatum (Linnaeus) Swartz var. amesianum (A. A. Eaton) Clute], which may be distinguished by its misshapen spores, fewer pinnae pairs, and dense row of hairs on the adaxial surface of the petioles. The hybrid is known only from Florida.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 2. FNA vol. 2.
Parent taxa Dryopteridaceae > Tectaria Dryopteridaceae > Tectaria
Sibling taxa
T. coriandrifolia, T. heracleifolia, T. incisa
T. fimbriata, T. heracleifolia, T. incisa
Synonyms Aspidium fimbriatum, Aspidium minimum, Aspidium trifoliatum var. minimum, Sagenia lobata, T. lobata, T. minima Aspidium coriandrifolium
Name authority (Willdenow) Proctor & Lourteig: Bradea 5: 386. (1990) (Swartz) L. Underwood: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 33: 200. (1906)
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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