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Nephrolepis brownii

(Desvaux) Hovenkamp & Miyamoto

Asian Swordfern

GNRUnranked Found in 2 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
GNRUnrankedGlobal Rank
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.132729
Element CodePPDAV01060
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomPlantae
PhylumFilicinophyta
ClassFilicopsida
OrderPolypodiales
FamilyNephrolepidaceae
GenusNephrolepis
Synonyms
Nephrolepis multiflora(Roxb.) Jarrett ex Morton
Other Common Names
Asian swordfern (EN) Asian Sword Fern (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
According to Weakley and the Southeastern Flora Team (2025), Nephrolepis multiflora is a synonym of N. brownii. Hennequin et al. (2010) confirm the monophyly of the genus Nephrolepis and suggest attribution to its own family, Nephrolepidaceae. The generic placement of this taxon is in accordance with the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group I (2016).
Conservation Status
Review Date2002-09-10
Change Date2002-09-10
Edition Date1991-03-06
Edition AuthorsBroaddus, Lynn
Range Extent Comments
Native of India and tropical Asia. Naturalized in much of the West Indies, tropical America, and Florida. In Jamaica this species is replacing N. exaltata in much of its habitat (Proctor, 1985).
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Thickets, clearings, open banks, roadsides and pastures (Proctor, 1985).
Other Nations (1)
United StatesNNA
ProvinceRankNative
FloridaSNANo
Plant Characteristics
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (2)
Puerto Rico (2)
AreaForestAcres
El Toro AreaCaribbean National Forest12,584
Mameyes AreaCaribbean National Forest11,150
References (3)
  1. Hennequin, S., Hovenkamp, P., Christenhusz, M.J., and H. Schneider. 2010. Phylogenetics and biogeography of Nephrolepis–a tale of old settlers and young tramps. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 164(2): 113-127.
  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. Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group I. 2016. A Community-Derived Classification for Extant Lycophytes and Ferns. Journal of Systematics and Evolution 54(6): 563–603.