Flora of the Hawaiian Islands
Pteridophyte Literature for Asplenium polyodon
Brownsey, 1998.
   Aspleniaceae -- The Spleenwort Family Bibliography
      Asplenium polyodon

Common name(s): spleenwort, punana manu
General Information
DistributionSouthern tropics from Madagascar and tropical Asia through Australia and the Pacific region but not in South America.In the Hawaiian Islands, indigenous to Kaua`i, O`ahu, Moloka`i, Lana`i, Maui, Hawai`i.















Click here for detailed USGS map by Jonathan Price
Habit
Terrestrial or sometimes epipetric or epiphytic. Rhizomes short-creeping, 0.8–1.5 cm in diameter, densely covered with scales; scales of rhizome and stipe base 3–4 mm long, 0.5–0.8 mm wide, dark brown, glossy, lanceolate, with slender hairlike tip.
Leaves
Fronds semi-erect or pendent, 22–130 cm long, spaced to 1 cm apart; stipe 9–65 cm long, 1–3 mm in diameter, dark brown, moderately scaly proximally to glabrate; blade 1-pinnate to 1-pinnate pinnatisect, rarely 2-pinnate in basal pinnae of large fronds, 15–120 cm long, 4.5–26 cm wide, oblong-elliptic to lanceolate, apex pinnatifid, acute, chartaceous to subcoriaceous, dark green and glossy above, paler beneath; pinnae (8-)10–30 on each side, short-stalked, alternate, sometimes subfalcate, narrowly ovate to ovate-lanceolate, longest pinnae near middle, 6–10 cm long, 1.5–2.5 cm wide, basal pinnae often with enlarged obovate-oblong or fan-shaped basal acroscopic lobe, distal pinnae less deeply cut, apex acuminate, margin doubly serrate with small, obtuse teeth; veins forking 1–4 times, nearly parallel to costae proximally, curving away from costae distally, ending in marginal teeth.
Sori
Sori variable, 3–5 mm long, 2–7 per pinna, basally subparallel to costae, distally curved and divergent from costae, reaching to 1/3–2/3 way to margin; indusium thin, narrow, pale green, acute at both ends.
Notes
Marquesan material resembles and is consistent with specimens from W. Polynesia (e.g., Samoa and Tonga). However, a collection from Nuku Hiva (Wood 4604)resembles A. contiguum Kaulf. (endemic to Hawaiian Is.) in having sori mostly close to and parallel with costae.
Contributor
David Lorence