Mother spleenwort facts for kids
Quick facts for kids mother spleenwort |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Asplenium
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| Species: |
gracillimum
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The Asplenium gracillimum is a type of fern, often called the mother spleenwort. It's a beautiful plant found in Australia and New Zealand. You can also find it on Stewart Island and the Chatham Islands. Its name, gracillimum, means "very slender" or "graceful," which perfectly describes how it looks.
What It Looks Like
This fern can grow small "plantlets" on its fronds. These tiny plantlets are called bulbils. They can drop off the main fern and grow into new ferns. This is a cool way the fern makes more of itself!
The fronds (which are like the leaves of a fern) can be quite long. They usually range from about 10.5 centimeters to over 1 meter (108 centimeters) in length.
This fern is similar to another one called Asplenium bulbiferum. However, Asplenium gracillimum has larger spores. It also has fewer of those little plantlets (bulbils) than Asplenium bulbiferum. The scales on Asplenium gracillimum are also different. They are narrower and often have thin, thread-like tips.
Its Family Tree
The Asplenium gracillimum fern is a special kind of plant. It's a natural hybrid, meaning it formed from two different parent ferns. These parents are A. bulbiferum and A. hookerianum.
Because it's a mix of two parents, scientists call it an "allotetraploid" hybrid. This just means it got sets of chromosomes from both parent plants. It used to be known by a slightly different name: Asplenium bulbiferum subspecies gracillimum.
Where It Lives
The mother spleenwort fern is very common in many bush areas across New Zealand. It's quite adaptable and can grow in different places. You can find it in shady spots or places with some sunlight.
In eastern Australia, it often grows in moist areas or rainforests. Sometimes, you'll see it growing on other plants, like tree ferns or tree trunks. When a plant grows on another plant without harming it, it's called an epiphyte.
See also
In Spanish: Asplenium bulbiferum para niños
