National Recovery Plan for the Christmas Island Spleenwort Asplenium listeri
A.2 TaxonomyA.2 Taxonomy
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A.2 Taxonomy
Asplenium listeri C.Chr. Index Filicum 118 (1906)
Family Aspleniaceae: Polypodiatae: Plantae
The Asplenium genus is large, with more than 600 species distributed worldwide.
The genus is named (1753) from Greek a (not) and spleen (a spleen) referring to the former use of some species as a remedy for disorders of the spleen. Dioscorides used the name asplenon for this type of fern. The species is named for naturalist Joseph Jackson Lister, who first collected a specimen of the species in 1887 (DuPuy 1993b).
Other names in use: none known
Common name: Christmas Island Spleenwort
Confusing species: The morphology of the closely related Asplenium polyodon G. Forst. (Sickle Spleenwort, Mare’s Tails Fern) can be highly variable, displaying at times a marked similarity to Asplenium listeri in pinnae shape and sori. The most distinguishing features are the harder and generally smaller fronds of A. listeri, which may be an adaptation to its exposed lithophytic habitat (Reddell pers. comm.).