Pteris carsei

Pteris carsei
Pteris carsei in the Waitākere Ranges
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Division:	Polypodiophyta
Class:	Polypodiopsida
Order:	Polypodiales
Family:	Pteridaceae
Genus:	Pteris
Species:	P. carsei
Binomial name
Pteris carsei Brownsey & Braggins, 2020

Pteris carsei is a species of fern native to New Zealand, including the Kermadec Islands. Originally considered a subtype of Pteris comans, the species was first formally described by Patrick Brownsey and John E. Braggins in 2020.[1][2]

Etymology

Holotype of Pteris carsei from the Auckland War Memorial Museum herbarium

The species was named after New Zealand teacher and amateur botanist Harry Carse.[3]

Taxonomy

Pteris carsei was first suggested to be a separate species from Pteris comans in John E. Braggins' 1975 thesis Studies on the New Zealand, and some related, species of Pteris L..[4][3] Specimens of P. carsei had been collected as early as 1832.[4] In 2017, genetic differences were discovered between Australian specimens of P. comans and P. carsei,[5] which prompted a review of Australasian Pteris species.[6] Pteris carsei forms a clade with Pteris saxatilis, Pteris macilenta and more distantly Pteris epaleata.[6]

Description

Pteris carsei is a medium-large fern, with fronds extending as far as 150 cm (59 in) away from the rhizome.[4] It can often be identified by its erect rhizome and laminae pattern.[3]

Distribution and habitat

Pteris carsei is endemic to New Zealand, occurring in the Three Kings Islands, coastal habitats on the North Island north of Mokau and the Coromandel Peninsula, and offshore islands north of the Coromandel Peninsula, as well as in the Kermadec Islands.[3] It is found in open cliff, beachside and hillside areas, or in forest underneath Kunzea species (such as kanuka).[3] The species is significantly more common on offshore islands than on the mainland of the North Island.[7]

References

1. "Pteris carsei". Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
2. Hassler, Michael (1994–2024). "Pteris carsei". World Ferns. Synonymic Checklist and Distribution of Ferns and Lycophytes of the World. Version 19.4. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
3. Brownsey, Patrick; Braggins, John; Perrie, Leon (25 June 2020). "Pteris carsei (Pteridaceae), a new endemic fern from New Zealand previously treated as P. comans G.Forst". New Zealand Journal of Botany. 58 (3): 214–222. doi:10.1080/0028825X.2019.1701503. ISSN 0028-825X. Wikidata Q110857842.
4. Braggins, John E. (1975), Studies on the New Zealand, and some related, species of Pteris L., ResearchSpace@Auckland, hdl:2292/2069, OCLC 227234089, Wikidata Q111963934
5. Liang Zhang; Li-Bing Zhang (23 September 2017). "Phylogeny and systematics of the brake fern genus Pteris (Pteridaceae) based on molecular (plastid and nuclear) and morphological evidence". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 118: 265–285. doi:10.1016/J.YMPEV.2017.09.011. ISSN 1055-7903. PMID 28951191. Wikidata Q46300230.
6. Ohlsen, D.J.; Brownsey, P.J.; Shepherd, L.D.; Perrie, L.R.; May, E.L.; Chen, C-W.; Bayly, M.J. (2020). "Pteris epaleata, a new fern species from Australia and New Zealand segregated from P. comans (Pteridaceae)" (PDF). Muelleria. 39: 17–26. ISSN 0077-1813. Wikidata Q102374065.
7. Cameron, Ewen K.; Bellingham, Peter J.; Taylor, Graeme A.; Tennyson, Alan J. D.; Davis, Joseph J. (2022). "Vegetation, vascular flora, and fauna of Motueka and Poikeke Islands, eastern Coromandel Peninsula, northeast New Zealand". Papahou: Records of the Auckland Museum. 56: 39–62. doi:10.32912/RAM.2022.56.3. ISSN 1174-9202. JSTOR 48687532. Wikidata Q113953864.