Family

Gleicheniaceae

Nomenclature

Sticherus hirtus (Blume) Ching, Sunyatsenia 5: 283. 1940. – Gleichenia hirta Blume, Enum. Pl. Javae 250. 1828; Holttum, Fl. Males., Ser. II, Pterid. 1: 25. 1959; Boonkerd et al., Thai For. Bull. (Bot.) 32: 8. 2004.

Description

Rhizome dichotomously branched, near the apex protected by peltate scales. Fronds of mature plants usually with indefinite growth in length, bearing primary branches in pairs. Main rachis bearing several pairs of branches, not high-climbing; lateral branch-systems forked in 1–3 orders, the first-order branches in most varieties not normally proliferous beyond their first fork; ultimate branches always much longer than those of lower order, 25–40 cm long, 2.5–3.5 cm wide, costules 4–4.5 mm apart, angle of ultimate forks less than 45°; lamina thin, cut almost down to the costa into thin oblique segments, 3–3.5 mm wide, edges distinctly toothed towards apices of segments, lower surface more or less glaucous (glaucous character destroyed by heat in drying). Scales on apex of main rachis to 5 mm long, less than 1 mm wide, fringed with short hairs; scales on costae abundant or not, spreading, 1.5–2 mm long, less than 0.5 mm wide, thin and rather pale, not conspicuously hair-pointed, edges fringed with slender hairs; smaller scales and stellate hairs also present on costae, costules and veins, or quite lacking; sori with raised receptacle, conspicuous paraphyses present or not.

Distribution in Thailand

PENINSULAR: Trang.

Wider Distribution

Throughout Malesia.

Ecology

Edge of montane scrub forest.

Proposed IUCN Conservation Assessment

Least Concern (LC). This species is widespread outside of Thailand and not under any known threat.

Notes

Collected only once in Thailand in the Banthat Mountains.