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Plant Profile

Holly-leaf Fern (Lomariopsis kunzeana)

Lomariopsis kunzeana in a Miami-Dade County preserve. Photo Credit: J. Possley

Global Rank: G3 - Vulnerable
Legal Status: N/A
Family: Dryopteridaceae
State: FL
Nature Serve ID: 130813
Lifeform: Vine, Forb/herb
Categories of Interest: Ferns
Date Inducted in National Collection:

Description:

Stem long-creeping, scaly. Leaves dark green, 10-60 cm long, the petiole 3-12 cm long, grooved on the upper side, narrowly winged, scaly at the base and pubescent, the blade oblanceolate, 9-32 cm long, 2-6 cm wide, the pinnae few to many, the terminal pinna like the lateral ones, the larger ones 1-3.5 cm long, 0.5-1.5 cm wide, pale green below, dark green and shining above, short stalked, the margin irregularly dentate, the upper surface glabrous, the lower surface sparsely to moderately pubescent, the veins simple or 1-forked, extending into the teeth, the fertile pinnae terminal, linear, deciduous, the rachis narrowly and uniformly winged throughout, not scaly but with trichomes. Sori acrostichoid. (Modified from FNAI 1993 and Wunderlin and Hansen 2000)

Where is Holly-leaf Fern (Lomariopsis kunzeana) located in the wild?

Habitat:

Habitat for L. kunzeana in Florida is rockland hammock solution holes, where the substrate is oolitic limestone and elevation is low. The species is typically only found beneath closed canopy in deep, narrow holes that maintain highest humidity. In Puerto Rico, habitat is similar, though elevations may be higher and the species isn't restricted to the deepest, most narrow holes.

Distribution:

Florida: Miami-Dade County.
World: Florida, Cuba, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico
(http://regionalconservation.org/ircs/database/plants/PlantPage.asp?TXCODE=Lomakunz)

States & Provinces:

Holly-leaf Fern can be found in Florida

Which CPC Partners conserve Holly-leaf Fern (Lomariopsis kunzeana)?

Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden

Not Sponsored

Assigned 06/09/17

Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden

Not Sponsored

Conservation Actions

Assigned 08/09/17

Marie Selby Botanical Gardens

Not Sponsored

Conservation Actions

Assigned 03/13/19

CPC's Plant Sponsorship Program provides long term stewardship of rare plants in our National Collection. We are so grateful for all our donors who have made the Plant Sponsorship Program so successful. We are in the process of acknowledging all our wonderful plant sponsorship donors on our website. This is a work in progress and will be updated regularly.

Conservation Actions

10/10/2020

University of Florida PhD candidate Jerald Pinson is studying the habitat requirements and genetics of L. kunzeana in Florida.

10/10/2020

Spores are cryogenically stored at CREW

10/10/2020

Selby Gardens has grown the largest, most healthy plants.

10/10/2020

Marie Selby Botanic Gardens, CREW (Cincinnati Zoo), and Fairchild all have ex situ material from Florida germplasm

J. Possley

02/27/2018

Marie Selby Botanic Gardens, CREW (Cincinnati Zoo), and Fairchild all have ex situ material from Florida germplasm; Selby Gardens has grown the largest, most healthy plants. Spores are cryogenically stored at CREW.

J. Possley

02/27/2018

University of Florida PhD candidate Jerald Pinson is studying the habitat requirements and genetics of L. kunzeana in Florida.

J. Possley

02/27/2018

The majority of South Florida's L. kunzena germplasm exists as gametophytes or as very small sporophytes. The number of large sporophytes is certainly not increasing, per Fairchild monitoring data (2005 - present), though gametophyte population size may be stable.

J. Possley

02/27/2018

Habitat loss, stochastic events due to very small population size (tree falls, storms). Non-native invasive pest plants. Climate change, especially as related to increasing frequency of hurricanes.

Nature Serve Biotics

05/02/2017

Quite rare in Florida, and also known from Puerto Rico. Lellinger states that it is also found in Greater Antilles. Restrictive habitat (wet hammocks and sinkholes) suggests that plant is not widespread.