top of page
Blechnum gibbum
(Labill.) Mett.
Silver Lady Fern
Blechnaceae
Blechnum gibbum is a species of fern in the family Blechnaceae. It is native to Melanesia, and is sometimes cultivated as an ornamental.
Description
Blechnum gibbum is a short tree fern, growing up to 50 cm tall. Leaves are simple, pinnatifid, with a short stipe that is about 5 cm long, covered with black, needle-like scales. The sterile fronds are up to 50 cm long, ovate but widest just above the middle. The base is 3 cm wide, and the tip is pointed. The fronds are divided into about 20 pairs of fingerlike lobes, which are very finely toothed, and widened at the base. They are bright green above, paler below. Fertile fronds are similarly sized , but the lobes are much thinner, less than 2 mm wide. Some fronds are not completely intermediate between fertile and sterile (Brownlie 1977).
Uses
​Note: Please see the disclaimer regarding any information about medical or edible uses.
The species is often grown as an ornamental (Brownlie 1977).
Distribution
Blechnum gibbum is native to New Caledonia and Vanuatu. It is unclear whether the species is found naturally in Fiji: only a single specimen has been found in Viti Levu, and the species is commonly cultivated anyway (Brownlie 1977).
Status
References
Brownlie, G. 1997. The Pteridophyte Flora of Fiji. Vaduz: J. Cramer.
Description
bottom of page