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Doryopteris majestosa

Doryopteris majestosa is a beautiful fern species from South America. The specific epithet - ‘majestosa’ refers to the majestic appearance of its large fronds.

In the past it was mistakenly identified as D. nobilis (T Moore) C. Chr. which also has noble features, such as being large in size and having similar division of the fronds.

However, D. majestosa can be distinguished by the presence of proliferous buds at the base of the lamina, which are absent in D. nobilis.

D. majestosa was described as a separate species by Dr Jovita Cislinski Yesilyurt, the Museum’s Botany Collections Manager, in 2007.

Species detail

Taxonomy

Doryopteris majestosa is a magnificent species of fern with large distinctive fronds. Discover how it differs from its close relative D. nobilis.
Distribution

Doryopteris majestosa can be found across east and central South America in a variety of habitats. Find out more.

Images

Doryopteris majestosa herbarium specimen with new plantlets growing from the proliferous buds.

Cultivated specimen of Doryopteris majestosa.

Doryopteris majestosa leaf blade with proliferous buds.

Doryopteris majestosa in its natural habitat.

Doryopteris majestosa in the forest undergrowth.

Print version

Author

Dr Jovita Cislinski Yesilyurt
Collections Manager - Cryptogams
Department of Botany

A word from the author

"This species is quite easy to misidentify under another name. This is 1 of the few species of the genus Doryopteris that can be spotted quite easily (and collected) and therefore it would be important to have them represented in the herbaria collections properly identified. Moreover, it can be a species that is not listed in the local or regional floras, although I do not believe that it is under threat, but they can be key species to identify ‘less impacted habitats’."

Toolbox

Glossary

Decumbent

Sub-erect (erect meaning vertical).

Diploid

With two sets of chromosomes in each cell.

Fertile frond

Frond that produces spores.

Frond

Leaf of a fern or palm.

Lamina

Leaf blade.

Neotropics

The tropical part of the American continents, such as central Mexico, the Caribbean islands, northern Chile, Paraguay and southern Brazil.

Pantropical

Occurring in all the tropical regions of the world.

Pedate

Palmetely lobed, but with the side lobes further divided successively, one from the other (not all arising from the same point as in palmate).

Petiole

Leaf stalk.

Pinnatilobed

Pinnately divided, with unspecified depth of division.

Proliferous buds

Buds capable of forming another plant.

Rhizome

Modified stem.

Fupicolous

Growing on or amongst rocks.

Sagittate

Shaped like an arrow-head.

Sori (plural of sorus)

Cluster of sporangia.

Sporangia (plural of sporangium)

Spore-producing structure in pteridophytes.

Sub-dimorphic

Having 2 different shapes, forms or size.

Triploid

With 3 sets of chromosomes in each cell.

References

Yesilyurt, J C (2007). Doryopteris majestosa (Pteridaceae), a New Species from South America. Am. Fern J 97 (4): 212–219.

Tyron, R M (1942). A revision of the genus Doryopteris. Contr. Gray Herb. 143: 1–80.