| Pteridophyte | Literature for Pteris vittata
Palmer, 2003. |
| Pteridaceae | Bibliography |
| Pteris vittata | |
Common name(s): Chinese brake, cliff brake, ladder brake |
| General Information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Distribution | Native to Africa, Asia, and Australia and is now naturalized in scattered warm areas of the world. In the Hawaiian Islands, naturalized on Kaua`i, O`ahu, Moloka`i, Lana`i, Maui, Hawai`i. | |
| Habitat | Urban areas, often on rock walls and dry cliffs | |
| Elevation | 0-1310 m |
|
| Habit |
Terrestrial or epipetric, small to medium-sized; rhizomes decumbent, covered with light tan scales. |
|
| Leaves |
Fronds 14-50(-80) cm long; stipe 1/10 or less frond length, straw-colored, scaly near base, scales light tan; blade 1-pinnate, oblanceolate, widest distally, gradually narrowing toward base, light green, chartaceous; rachises and costae straw-colored, fine scaly; pinnae 8-21 pairs, usually subopposite, short-stalked to slightly adnate, gradually diminishing in size toward base, basal pinnae very short and cordate, margins entire, terminal pinnae similar to lateral pinnae but much longer. |
|
| Sori |
Coenosori marginal, light-colored flaps. |
|
| Notes |
Latin vittatus, longitudinally striped, probably in reference to the marginal coenosori. |
|
| Contributor |
Sally Eichhorn |