Roadless Areas
Home/Species/ Downy Maiden Fern

Christella dentata

(Forsskål) Brownsey & Jermy

Downy Maiden Fern

G5Secure Found in 3 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.154305
Element CodePPTHE050E0
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
KingdomPlantae
PhylumFilicinophyta
ClassFilicopsida
OrderFilicales
FamilyThelypteridaceae
GenusChristella
Synonyms
Thelypteris dentata(Forsk.) E. St. John
Other Common Names
Downy Maidenfern (EN) downy maiden fern (EN) Downy Shieldfern (EN)
Concept Reference
Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
Taxonomic Comments
The generic placement of this taxon, in Christella, is in accordance with the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group I (2016) and is included as an accepted combination by Fawcett and Smith (2021). "Christella dentata, historically confused with C. hispidula, is very widely naturalized and is now one of the most commonly collected ferns in many parts of North and South America" (Fawcett and Smith 2021). It is native to tropical and subtropical Asia and Africa and was treated in the genus Thelypteris in the Flora of North America (vol. 2, 1993).
Conservation Status
Review Date1994-03-22
Change Date1994-03-22
Edition Date1991-03-08
Edition AuthorsBroaddus, Lynn (1991), rev. J. Beckman (5/96), rev. L. Morse (1999)
Rank Reasons
Pantropical distribution, though exotic to Hawaii. Abundant.
Range Extent Comments
Pantropical, including southeastern United States (Kartesz, 1999 review draft dataset 6/99). Introduced to Hawaii around 1887, now common and naturalized there (Valier 1995).
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Roadside banks, borders of thickers, pastures and cultivated or disturbed grounds (Proctoer, 1985).
Other Nations (1)
United StatesNNA
ProvinceRankNative
South CarolinaSNANo
LouisianaSNANo
KentuckySNANo
GeorgiaSNANo
HawaiiSNANo
AlabamaS4Yes
FloridaSNANo
MississippiSNANo
Plant Characteristics
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (3)
Florida (1)
AreaForestAcres
Alexander Springs CreekOcala National Forest2,954
Puerto Rico (2)
AreaForestAcres
El Toro AreaCaribbean National Forest12,584
Mameyes AreaCaribbean National Forest11,150
References (7)
  1. Fawcett, S., and A.R. Smith. 2021. A generic classification of the Thelypteridaceae. Sida, Bot. Misc. 59. BRIT Press, Fort Worth Botanic Garden, Botanical Research Institute of Texas, U.S.A. 102 pp.
  2. Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
  3. Kartesz, J. T., and C. Meacham. 1999. Unpublished review draft of Floristic Synthesis, 10Jun99 and/or 16Jun99. North Carolina Botanical Garden, Chapel Hill.
  4. Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group I. 2016. A Community-Derived Classification for Extant Lycophytes and Ferns. Journal of Systematics and Evolution 54(6): 563–603.
  5. Valier, K. 1995. Ferns of Hawaii. University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu, HI.
  6. Weakley, A.S. 2015. Flora of the Southern and Mid-Atlantic States. Working Draft of 21 May 2015. University of North Carolina Herbarium (NCU), North Carolina Botanical Garden, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Online. Available: www.herbarium.unc.edu/FloraArchives/WeakleyFlora_2015-05-29.pdf (Accessed 2015).
  7. Weakley, A.S., and Southeastern Flora Team. 2024. Flora of the southeastern United States. Edition of March 4, 2024. University of North Carolina Herbarium (NCU), North Carolina Botanical Garden, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. 2203 pp.