Cheilanthes leachii (Schelpe) Schelpe

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Photo: Bart Wursten
Domboshawa

Photo: Petra Ballings
Road from Mutirikwi dam

Photo: Petra Ballings
Above Mermaids Falls, Aberfoyle

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Synonyms:	Notholaena leachii Schelpe
Common names:
Frequency:
Status:	Native
Description:	Rhizome shortly creeping to erect, up to 4 mm in diameter; rhizome scales brown often with a dark central stripe, lanceolate. Fronds tufted, erect, up to 31 cm long, proliferous at the apex, occasionally on costae of basal pinnae. Stipe dark brown to almost black when mature, up to 23 cm long, more or less witht thin, brown, hairlike scales when young, later glabrous. Lamina up to 10 cm × 4 cm, ovate to lanceolate in outline, 2-pinnatifid to 2-pinnate, sometimes 3-pinnatifid on the lower basiscopically developed pinnae. Pinnae ovate or triangular, somewhat widely spaced, both surfaces set with scattered, long, rusty-coloured hairs. Rhachis as for stipe. Sori marginal; indusium pale brown, continuous and very narrow.
Notes:	May be mistaken for C. inaequalis which is non-proliferous.
Derivation of specific name:	leachii: named after L.C. Leach of the National Herbarium in Zimbabwe. He accompanied Prof. Schelpe in 1962 on an expedition to nothern Mozambique, where the type specimen was collected
Habitat:	Rock crevices and boulder bases, among grasses and sedges near streams, at vegetation islands on granite whalebacks.
Altitude range:	900 - 1850 m
Worldwide distribution:	Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Mozambique distribution:	N,Z,T,MS
Growth form(s):	Lithophyte, terrestrial.
Endemic status:
Red data list status:
Insects associated with this species:
Spot characters:	Display spot characters for this species
Literature:	Burrows, J.E. (1990). Southern African Ferns and Fern Allies. Frandsen, Sandton. Pages 129 - 130. (Includes a picture). Burrows, J.E. & Burrows, S.M. (1993). An annotated check-list of the pteridophytes of Malawi Kirkia 14(1) Page 88. Da Silva, M.C., Izidine, S. & Amude, A.B. (2004). A preliminary checklist of the vascular plants of Mozambique. Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 30 Sabonet, Pretoria Page 14. Jacobsen, W.B.G. (1983). The Ferns and Fern Allies of Southern Africa. Butterworths, Durban and Pretoria. Pages 254 - 255. (Includes a picture). Kornas, J. (1979). Distribution and ecology of the Pteridophytes in Zambia Polska Akademia Nauk Wydzial II Nauk Biologicznych Pages 50 - 51. Mapaura, A. & Timberlake, J. (eds) (2004). A checklist of Zimbabwean vascular plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 33 Sabonet, Pretoria and Harare Page 9. Roux, J.P. (2001). Conspectus of Southern African Pteridophyta. Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report 13 Page 64. Roux, J.P. (2009). Synopsis of the Lycopodiophyta and Pteridophyta of Africa, Madagascar and neighbouring islands Page 183. Schelpe, E.A.C.L.E. (1970). Pteridophyta Flora Zambesiaca Pages 125 - 126.

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Flora of Malawi: Cheilanthes leachii
Flora of Zambia: Cheilanthes leachii
Flora of Zimbabwe: Cheilanthes leachii

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African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Cheilanthes leachii
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Cheilanthes leachii
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IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Cheilanthes leachii
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Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Cheilanthes leachii
Plants of the World Online: Cheilanthes leachii
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Wikipedia: Cheilanthes leachii