identification no160612sn3

[Satish Nikam]

Friends,

            I suppose this is a fern, and have come to know it's name as Cheilanthus farinosa?Taken at Mulshi,Pune .Found in a ditch.

regards

satish nikam

my photos

http://www.flickr.com/photos/wwwssncomphotos

[Nidhan Singh]

satish Ji,

Definitely this is a species of silver fern (Cheilanthes) as you have said...cannot say anything about species. Seems like this is drying up..
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Regards,

Dr. Nidhan Singh
Department of Botany
I.B. (PG) College
Panipat-132103 Haryana
Ph.: 09416371227

[JM Garg]

[J.M. Garg]

Totally inadequate image.

One possibility is A.bicolor:
https://efloraofindia.com/2012/08/18/aleuritopteris-bicolor/

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Satish Nikam <satish...@yahoo.com>
Date: Sat, 16 Jun 2012 at 14:52
Subject: [efloraofindia:119590] identification no160612sn3
To: Indiantrees Pics <indian...@googlegroups.com>

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With regards,
J.M.Garg

[J.M. Garg]

Thanks a lot, Chris ji.

The following statement is mine (that is why I did not mention anybody's name):

"Totally inadequate image.

One possibility is A.bicolor:
https://efloraofindia.com/2012/08/18/aleuritopteris-bicolor/"

I do not have much idea about ferns except for comparing images (and details) already identified in our group (efloraofindia- mostly by you) and putting a guess and marking a copy to you for your expert comments. 

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Chris Fraser-Jenkins 
Date: Sun, 23 Apr 2023 at 13:17
Subject: Re: [efloraofindia:119590] identification no160612sn3
To: J.M. Garg <jmg...@gmail.com>

Dear oh dear, yes, I have to agree with the person who said this image is inadequate!  But incidentally, who is that person?  He or she does not like to say! I think you really need to put your name after any comment.  I don't know anyone working in India called "efloraofindia"!  Please reveal yourself and try to be sure never to hide behind some group name.  One's identity is a matter of courtesy, but also helps people to know if you are experienced or not, which is important.  Even if I make a blunt comment I do not hide my name!

Going on to the specimen, I wonder if the photographer knows a useful little trick, when specimens are dried up and curled up like this one cannot see the essential characters for identification, so particularly for cheilanthoids, many Asplenium, all Vittaria (i.e. Section Haplopteris), it is important to soak the specimen out in a bucket of water overnight, and though it might seem unkind to it, once it is all nicely expanded, then put it in the press and ensure to change the paper several times almost right away to get rid of water on the frond.  Then photograph the dried herbarium specimen, which is often much more informative than bad field photos.

For this genus we need to see the scales at the base of the stipe, and if present, on the upper stipe, rachis and pinna costae, beneath (as you can read in any of the massive literature on Indian ferns including the Annotated Checklist of Indian Pteridophytes, vol. 1 or Ferns and Fern allies of Nepal, vol. 1).  But one also needs to see the shape of the lamina.

More than one species of Aleuritopteris occurs in Maharashtra: A. albomarginata (scales on pinna costae), A. anceps, A. bicolor, A. formosana and I think A. rufa (from memory).  Your specimen is clearly not albomarginata, formosana or rufa (as scale distribution is wrong).  It is fairly obviously either A. bicolor or A. anceps, both of which occur commonly around Pune.

I would guess from the longer lowest pinna it may be A. bicolor, but I can't eliminate A. anceps while in the shrivelled state shown in this photo.  If you can also send a close up of the scales towards the base of the stipe, one could be certain, as anceps scales are much wider and go up the stipe quite a lot, whereas bicolor scales are very narrowly linear and mostly confined to the very base of the stipe (except in very juvenile, baby plants, which this is not).  Otherwise (or additionally), try soaking out a complete frond and then pressing.

It's all a matter of knowing what needs to be shown for each species, and simple technique...

Good wishes,

     Chris Fraser Jenkins (chriso...@yahoo.co.uk).

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With regards,
J.M.Garg

[J.M. Garg]

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With regards,
J.M.Garg

[J.M. Garg]

Thanks a lot, Chris ji

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Chris Fraser-Jenkins 

Date: Sun, 23 Apr 2023 at 13:32
Subject: Re: [efloraofindia:119590] identification no160612sn3
To: J.M. Garg <jmg...@gmail.com>

Incidentally, I forgot to add that it has long been known for many decades that "Cheilanthes" farinosa (or Aleuritopteris farinosa) is NOT an Indian fern, but is from Africa and South Arabia.  Yet even now we still find that name cropping up when people are not aware of the important modern literature on Indian ferns, usually people who don't work on ferns so didn't know it has all been explained before and is available to look up and consult!

Best,

   Chris FraserJenkins [my laptop has no hyphen key working any more, getting old like me!]

On Sunday, 23 April 2023 at 08:06:44 BST, J.M. Garg <jmg...@gmail.com> wrote:

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With regards,
J.M.Garg