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Cheilanthes tenuifolia

Scientific Name: Cheilanthes tenuifolia

Family: Pteridaceae

Category: Fern

Growth: Forb/herb

Duration: Perennial

Other Names:

       

Cheilanthes tenuifolia

Cheilanthes tenuifolia, also known as Narrow-leaved Lip Fern, is a rock-dwelling fern species. Other common names include Resam Lumut, Resam Padi, and Paku Telur Belangkas.

Taxonomy and Nomenclature

  • Scientific Name: Cheilanthes tenuifolia (Burm.f.) Sw.
  • Family: Adiantaceae (some sources list Pteridaceae)
  • Genus: Cheilanthes
  • Species: C. tenuifolia
  • Synonyms:
    • Trichomanes tenuifolia Burm.f.
    • Cheilosoria tenuifolia (Burm. f.) Trev. (Note: one source indicates Cheilanthes tenuifolia is a synonym of this)
    • Cheilanthes tenuifolia subsp. queenslandica Domin.
    • Cheilanthes tenuifolia f. gracilior Domin.

Distribution and Habitat

  • Cheilanthes tenuifolia is found in:
    • China (Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, S-Hunan, Jiangxi, Yunnan)
    • Taiwan
    • Australia (Northern Territory, Queensland, Western Australia)
    • Peninsular Malaysia
    • India
    • Tropical Polynesia
    • Indo-China
    • Philippines (Luzon, Mindanao)
  • It thrives in maquis, degraded zones, and secondary forests.
  • It is native to Western Australia.

Morphological Characteristics

  • This fern grows crawling and ground-covering.
  • It has green fronds that can reach up to 1.2 meters in size.
  • Leaves are 25-35cm in length, with blades about half this length.
  • The blades are triangular-ovate in outline, tripinnate to tripinnatisect, bright to matt-green, and usually glabrous.
  • Rhizomes are creeping, often branched, and covered with lanceolate, entire scales (as Cheilanthes austrotenuifolia).

Traditional Uses

  • Roots are prescribed for sickness attributed to witchcraft or the evil eye.

Further Information

  • Discover Life: Provides information about the biology, natural history, ecology, identification, and distribution of Cheilanthes tenuifolia.
  • Tropicos, China, and IPCN databases.
  • Flora of Australia Online.
  • Encyclopedia of Life.
  • Finnish Museum of Natural History (FMNH) - fern specimens.
  • RHS (Royal Horticultural Society) - offers help & information.