''Tectaria estremerana'' is a rare 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 except t ...
known by the common name Puerto Rico halberd fern.
[''Tectaria estremerana''.]
USDA Plants Profile. It 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 elsew ...
to
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...
. It is a federally listed
endangered species
An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inv ...
of the United States.
[USFWS]
Determination of Endangered Status for Four Endemic Puerto Rican Ferns.
''Federal Register'' June 9, 1993.
This fern has fronds up to long, each with a hairy, orange brown
stipe. The
rachis
In biology, a rachis (from the grc, ῥάχις [], "backbone, spine") is a main axis or "shaft".
In zoology and microbiology
In vertebrates, ''rachis'' can refer to the series of articulated vertebrae, which encase the spinal cord. In this c ...
is hairy and the leaf is divided into a few elongated leaflets.
[
When this plant was placed on the United States' Endangered Species List it was known from a population of 23 individuals in ]Arecibo, Puerto Rico
Arecibo (; ) is a city and municipality on the northern coast of Puerto Rico, on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean, located north of Utuado and Ciales; east of Hatillo; and west of Barceloneta and Florida. It is about west of San Juan, the ...
. The ferns are located about away from the Arecibo Radio Telescope
The Arecibo Telescope was a spherical reflector radio telescope built into a natural sinkhole at the Arecibo Observatory located near Arecibo, Puerto Rico. A cable-mount steerable receiver and several radar transmitters for emitting signals wer ...
.[ Later more individuals were discovered in Río Abajo Commonwealth Forest and in the municipality of ]Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
.[USFWS]
5-Year Review for 3 Puerto Rican Ferns.
January 2010.
References
estremerana
Ferns of the Americas
Endemic flora of Puerto Rico
Plants described in 1989
Ferns of the United States
Flora without expected TNC conservation status
{{Polypodiales-stub