Singlesorus Spleenwort

Roots not proliferous. Stems erect, unbranched; scales black with lighter margins, linear-lanceolate, 3--6 × 0.4--0.8 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. Blade linear, 1-pinnate throughout, 5--25(--40) × 1--2.5(--3) cm, thick, glabrous; base gradually tapered; apex acute, not rooting. Rachis reddish brown throughout, lustrous, glabrous. 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. Sori 1(--3) per pinna, only on basiscopic side. Spores 32 per sporangium. n = 2 n = 108 (apogamous).

Ala., Ariz., N.C., S.C.; Mexico; West Indies in Hispaniola, Jamaica; Central America; South America to n Argentina; Africa including Madagascar, Madeira, Réunion, Tristan da Cunha; Pacific Islands in Hawaii.

Rock; 50--1000m.

monanthes: ´one flower`, this fern has a single sorus per pinna.

Rhizome erect to suberect, ± 3 mm diameter; scales black, lanceolate, subentire, up to 6 mm long. Fronds uniform, tufted, proliferous, gemmae on the upper half of stipe. Stipe up to 11 cm, dark brown to almost black,with scattered scales when young, glabrous at maturity. Lamina 15-45 cm × 2-2.7 cm, pinnate, linear-oblong in outline. Pinnae hairless, acroscopic margin and apex toothed, basiscopic margin entire with the costa running near the basiscopic margin. Rhachis black. Sori one (occasionaly two), elongate-linear to oval, situated near the costa, indusium entire.

Bioko, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Rwanda, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Madagascan region