Cephalomanes atrovirens facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Cephalomanes atrovirens |
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| 1840 illustration (as Trichomanes boryanum) | |
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Cephalomanes atrovirens is a type of fern that belongs to the Hymenophyllaceae family. These ferns are often called "filmy ferns" because their leaves are very thin, almost like a film.
Scientists sometimes disagree on how to name and group plants. For example, in 2016, a group called the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group (PPG I) recognized the genus Cephalomanes. However, other scientists, like those who manage Plants of the World Online, think that Cephalomanes should be part of a larger group called Trichomanes. This means that what some call Cephalomanes atrovirens might be known as different Trichomanes species by others, such as Trichomanes acrosorum, Trichomanes atrovirens, Trichomanes boryanum and Trichomanes kingii.
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Different Names for the Same Fern
Just like people can have nicknames, plants can sometimes have different scientific names. This happens when scientists study them and decide to group them in new ways. For Cephalomanes atrovirens, there are a few different forms and subspecies that some scientists see as separate species.
Here are some of the ways this fern has been named:
- Cephalomanes atrovirens ssp. atrovirens is also known as Trichomanes atrovirens.
- Cephalomanes atrovirens ssp. boryanum is also known as Trichomanes boryanum.
- Cephalomanes atrovirens f. acrosorum is also known as Trichomanes acrosorum.
- Cephalomanes atrovirens f. kingii is also known as Trichomanes kingii.
This shows how scientific understanding can change over time as new information is discovered.
Where This Fern Grows
Cephalomanes atrovirens is found in many parts of the world, mostly in tropical and subtropical regions.
Main Areas Where It Lives
You can find this fern in:
- The Ryūkyū Islands (which are part of Japan).
- Malesia, which includes countries like the Philippines and Sulawesi (an island in Indonesia).
- Papuasia, including New Guinea, the Bismarck Archipelago, and the Solomon Islands.
- Islands in the northwestern Pacific, such as the Mariana Islands, Palau, the Caroline Islands, and the Federated States of Micronesia.
- Islands in the southwestern Pacific, like Fiji, New Caledonia, Samoa, Tonga, the Santa Cruz Islands, Vanuatu, and the Wallis and Futuna Islands.
- Eastern Australia, including Queensland, New South Wales, Norfolk Island, and Lord Howe Island.
Specific Locations for Different Types
Different types of Cephalomanes atrovirens grow in slightly different places:
- C. atrovirens subsp. atrovirens is found in the Ryukyu Islands, eastern tropical Asia (like New Guinea, the Philippines, the Santa Cruz Islands, the Solomon Islands, Sulawesi, and Vanuatu), and eastern Australia (Queensland, New South Wales, Norfolk Island, and Lord Howe Island).
- C. atrovirens subsp. boryanum grows further east. You can find it in the Bismarck Archipelago and other western Pacific islands like the Caroline Islands, Fiji, the Mariana Islands, New Caledonia, Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu, and the Wallis and Futuna Islands.
The two forms of the fern have even smaller native areas:
- Both C. atrovirens f. acrosorum and C. atrovirens f. kingii are found in New Guinea.
- C. atrovirens f. acrosorum also grows in Micronesia and the Solomon Islands.
- C. atrovirens f. kingii is also native to the Santa Cruz Islands.
