Asplenium praemorsum Sw., Prodr. 130. 1788. Fig. 15 A, B.
Plantas epífitas o rupícolas, raramente terrestres; rizoma ascendente a erecto; hojas en fascículos medianamente compactos, 4–50 cm de largo y 3–12 cm de ancho, monomorfas; pecíolo a menudo curvado en la base, oscuro y opaco, no alado, con numerosas escamas oscuras lanceoladas a filiformes dispersas sobre la superficie, retorcidas; lámina 1-pinnada, ovado-lanceolada, abaxialmente con dispersas escamas oscuras angostas; raquis alado, densamente cubierto por escamas delgadas oscuras, más abundantemente entre las alas adaxialmente; pinnas profundamente pinnatífidas, bases inequiláteras, el lado basiscópico excavado, el acroscópico truncado, ápices agudos, márgenes lacerados formando segmentos profundos que casi llegan hasta el nervio medio de la pinna, el segmento basal acroscópico de la pinna evidentemente separado del resto de los segmentos, firmemente cartáceas a subcoriáceas; nervios 2- ó 3-bifurcados, subflabelados, conspicuos por lo menos en la superficie abaxial y terminando en hidátodos lineares e inconspicuos; indusio entero.
Nebliselvas, bosques húmedos y bosques de pino-encinos; Henrich 409, Rueda 13595; 900–1600 m; México al noroeste de Argentina, las Antillas. Los especímenes determinados previamente como Asplenium aethiopicum (Burm. f.) Bech. se han incluido dentro de esta especie. Esta especie se distingue del resto de los Asplenium en Nicaragua por tener el pecíolo y raquis abundantemente cubiertos de escamas y por sus pinnas profundamente incisas. LC
Rhizome ascending; rhizome scales dark brown, clathrate, 4-5(-7) mm long; fronds clumped; stipe 11.5-14 cm long, black, with abundant black-brown scales of two types—lanceolate, 4-5 mm long, and hairlike, twisted scales 0.8-4 mm long; blade bipinnate, 12-45 cm long, 4-10 cm wide; rachis black abaxially, green adaxially, channelled, not alate, terete, with scattered 1-2 mm long, fimbriate scales; pinnae 7-13 pairs, acute, segments obtuse with fine teeth at apex, dense to scattered fine scales beneath, 2-3 mm long, 3-7 segments per basal pinna; veins less than 10° angle, 4-8 per segment; sori mostly one facing pair per pinna lobe; indusia entire, 3-8 mm long, 0.3-0.5 mm wide.
Roots coarse, fibrous, not proliferous; rhizomes suberect; rhizome scales dark brown, clathrate, 4–7 x 0.4–0.6 mm, with long, filiform, uniseriate tips, entire; fronds clumped, 10–50 cm long; stipes black to brown, dull, 10–14 cm x 1–2(–3) mm, 1/4–2/3 of frond length, with abundant black-brown lanceolate to hair-like, often twisted scales mostly 2–5 mm long, not winged; blades thick-chartaceous to subcoriaceous, ovate to lanceolate, 2- pinnate to 2-pinnate-pinnatifid, 12–45 x 4–10 cm; rachises black abaxially, green adaxially, with scattered, basally fimbriate or pectinate scales 1–3 mm long, not winged; pinnae lanceolate to deltate, mostly 7–15 pairs, 2–11 x 1–3 cm, proximal ones stalked 2 mm or more, acute, pinnate, 3–7 segments (pinnules) per proximal pinna, segments obovate or obtriangular, sometimes lacerate, deeply incised, or with fine teeth at apices; veins arising at very narrow angles (5–20º) from the main vein of a segment, 4–8 per ultimate segment, tips not evident adaxially, but veins at least faintly visible on both blade surfaces; indument abaxially of dense to scattered narrow scales 1–3 mm long; sori mostly 1–5 per pinna lobe (pinnule); indusia entire, 3–12 x 0.3–0.5 mm; spores reniform; 2n=288 (Jam).
Rhizomes erect, 8-10 mm diam., saxicolous, densely covered with attenuate, faintly bicolorous, shining scales; fronds few, stiffly erect; stipes and rhachises adaxially grooved, brown to black with tan wings, the many, spreading scales with filiform attenuate apices; blades triangular-ovate, to 35 cm long, bipinnate to bipinnate-pinnatifid below, pinnate above, the bases abrupt, the apices acute, the terminal pinna confluent; pinnae 20-30, opposite to alternate, to 3.5 cm long, 16 mm wide, inequilaterally quadrangular, incised into linear, obtriangular, or obovate segments; sori long, distant; indusia brownish, translucent.
Stem: position erect; type of the indumentum scale; form of the scale linear lanceolate. Leaf: position erect; colour of the petiole brown matt; wing of the petiole and or rachis absent; indumentum of the petiole and or rachis scale; form of the blade foliar lanceolate; division of the blade foliar pinnate/pinnate pinnatifid; apex of the blade foliar acute/pinna apical pinnatifid; base of the blade truncate; presence of the bud absent; number of the pairs of the pinae 6 to 10 pairs/11 to 20 pairs; form of the pinna lateral lanceolate; type of the venation free; branching of the veins 2 furcate or more; indumentum of the veins scale. Type of sporangium: form of the sori diplazioid/unilateral; form of the indusium linear. Spore: ornamentation of the perine cristate.
Caule: posição ereto(s); tipo de indumento escama(s); forma das escama(s) linear(es) lanceolada(s). Folha: posição ereta(s); cor do pecíolo(s) castanho fosco(s); ala(s) do pecíolo(s) e ou raque ausente(s); indumento do pecíolo(s) e ou raque escama(s); forma da lâmina(s) foliar(es) lanceolada(s); divisão da lâmina(s) foliar(es) pinada(s)/pinada(s) pinatifida(s); ápice(s) da lâmina(s) foliar(es) agudo(s)/pina apical(ais) pinatifida(s); base da lâmina(s) truncada(s); presença de gema(s) ausente(s); número de pares de pinas 6 até 10 pares/11 até 20 pares; forma da pina lateral(ais) lanceolada(s); tipo de venação livre(s); ramificação(ções) das nervura(s) 2 furcada(s) ou mais; indumento das nervura(s) escama(s). Tipo de esporângio: forma do soro(s) diplazióide/unilateral(ais); forma do indúsio linear(es). Esporo: ornamentação da perina cristada(s).
Tallo: posición erecto(s); tipo de indumento escama(s); forma de las escama(s) linear(es) lanceolada(s). Hoja: posición erecta(s); color del pecíolo(s) marron opaco(s); ala(s) del pecíolo(s) y o raquis ausente(s); indumento del pecíolo(s) y o raquis escama(s); forma de la lámina(s) foliar(es) lanceolada(s); división de la lámina(s) foliar(es) pinada(s)/pinada(s) pinatifida(s); ápice(s) de la lámina(s) foliar(es) agudo(s)/pina apical(es) pinatifida(s); base de la lámina(s) truncada(s); presencia de yema(s) ausente(s); número de páreas de pinas 6 hasta 10 páreas/11 hasta 20 páreas; forma de la pina lateral(es) lanceolada(s); tipo de venación libre(s); ramificación(es) de las nervura(s) 2 furcada(s) o más; indumento de las nervura(s) escama(s). Tipo de esporangio: forma del soro(s) diplazioide/unilateral(es); forma del indusio linear(es). Esporo: ornamentación de la perina cristada(s).
Epiphytic or epipetric in mesic to dry pine-oak woods; Centro, Cuicatlán, Ixtlán, Juquila, Pochutla, Sola de Vega, Teotitlán, Tlaxiaco, Villa Alta; 750-2350 m. Mexico (Tam, SLP, DF, Mor, Mich, Gro, Ver, Oax, Chis); Guat to Pan; Gr Antill; Col & Ven to s Braz & nw Arg.
Epiphytic or epipetric in mesic to dry pine-oak woods; 700–3000(–3400) m. Mexico; Guat, Hond, Salv, Nic, CR, Pan; Gr Ant; Col, Ven, Ec, Galapagos, Peru, s Braz, Bol, nw Arg.
General distribution. West Indies; Mexico to Bolivia and Brazil. Known in Venezuela in the states of Sucre, Distrito Federal, Aragua, Zulia, Merida, and Bolivar; in Venezuela the species grows at elevations from 1175 to 3000 m, apparently always saxicolous. American specimens, exceedingly variable among themselves in the degree of dissection and the width of the ultimate segments, have sometimes been united with the even more variable Old World species.
