''Austroblechnum durum'', synonym ''Blechnum durum'', is a species of

fern A fern (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta ) is a member of a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. The polypodiophytes include all living pteridophytes exce ...

in the family

Blechnaceae Blechnaceae is a family of ferns in the order Polypodiales, with a cosmopolitan distribution. Its status as a family and the number of genera included have both varied considerably. In the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 ...

. The fern is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

Description

Thomas Moore Thomas Moore (28 May 1779 – 25 February 1852) was an Irish writer, poet, and lyricist celebrated for his ''Irish Melodies''. Their setting of English-language verse to old Irish tunes marked the transition in popular Irish culture from Irish ...

described this species as follows:

Taxonomy

This fern was first described by Moore in ''

The Gardeners' Chronicle ''The Gardeners' Chronicle'' was a British horticulture periodical. It lasted as a title in its own right for nearly 150 years and is still extant as part of the magazine '' Horticulture Week''. History Founded in 1841 by the horticulturists Jose ...

'' in 1866 as ''Lomaria dura''. His description was based on a cultivated specimen collected by Henry H. Travers on the

Chatham Islands The Chatham Islands ( ) (Moriori: ''Rēkohu'', 'Misty Sun'; mi, Wharekauri) are an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean about east of New Zealand's South Island. They are administered as part of New Zealand. The archipelago consists of about te ...

in 1871.

Distribution and habitat

''A. durum'' has a somewhat restricted range in coastal forests from south of Okuru and the

Haast River The Haast River / Awarua is a river on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand. The Māori name for the river is Awarua. It drains the western watershed of the Haast Pass. The Haast River is in length, and enters the Tasman Sea n ...

eastward to the

Catlins The Catlins (sometimes referred to as The Catlins Coast) comprises an area in the southeastern corner of the South Island of New Zealand. The area lies between Balclutha and Invercargill, straddling the boundary between the Otago and Southla ...

area of the South Island. ''A. durum'' also is found on Stewart Island in the mixed hardwood/

podocarp Podocarpaceae is a large family of mainly Southern Hemisphere conifers, known in English as podocarps, comprising about 156 species of evergreen trees and shrubs.James E. Eckenwalder. 2009. ''Conifers of the World''. Portland, Oregon: Timber Pr ...

forest floor in association with ''

Austroblechnum leyboldtianum ''Austroblechnum leyboldtianum'', synonym ''Blechnum blechnoides'', known as ''iquide'' in Chilean Spanish, is a fern species endemic to Chile. It has a distribution range from Concepción to Aisén in Chile. It grows up to altitudes of . Se ...

'', '' A. lanceolatum'' and '' A. colensoi''.

References

{{Taxonbar, from1=Q42731131, from2=Q4925785 Blechnaceae Ferns of New Zealand Endemic flora of New Zealand Ferns of Australasia