Family

Polypodiaceae

Nomenclature

Calymmodon curtus Parris, Kew Bull. 41: 506. 1986; Parris, Fl. Pen. Malaysia, Ser. I, Ferns & Lycoph. 1: 140. 2010. – Type: Holttum SFN 20935, Peninsular Malaysia, Pahang, G. Tahan (holotype K; isotype SING).

Calymmodon cucullatus auct. non (Nees & Blume) C.Presl: Holttum, Rev. Fl. Malaya ed. 1, 2: 220, f. 120. 1955 [‘1954’]; Tagawa & K.Iwats., Fl. Thailand 3: 596. 1989; Boonkerd & Pollawatn, Pterid. Thailand: 290. 2000.

Description

Epiphytic. Rhizome short, suberect, bearing many fronds in a tuft, scaly; scales brown, not clathrate, about 3 by 0.8 mm, narrowly oblong, rather suddenly narrowed at acuminate apex, entire at margin, glabrous. Stipes very short, dark brown, winged. Laminae linear, up to (1.9–)5(–13) cm by (3–)5–8 mm, lobed almost to midrib with a wing less than 0.3 mm broad on each side; sterile lobes oblong, round to moderately acute at apex, entire at margin, up to 4 by 1.5 mm, thin, veins simple, distinct, very sparsely hairy with pale soft hairs; fertile lobes on upper part of fronds. Sori solitary, naked but protected by folded basiscopic half of the fertile lobes, thus the fertile lobes bilabiate in appearance.

Distribution in Thailand

PENINSULAR: Chumphon, Phangnga, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Trang, Yala.

Wider Distribution

Thailand and Peninsular Malaysia.

Ecology

On mossy tree trunks in dense evergreen forests on ridges at high altitudes, rather rare.

Proposed IUCN Conservation Assessment

Least Concern (LC). This species is widespread and not under any known threats.  It was given an assessment of Vulnerable in the Flora of Peninsular Malaysia.

Notes

The description is drawn from Thai collections, but this species elsewhere can have fronds up to 20 by 1 cm, though the size and form of sterile lobes are very variable.