Asplenium nidus

Asplenium nidus (Wikipedia)
See bird's-nest fern for other plants with this common name.

Asplenium nidus
Asplenium-detail.jpg

Secure (NatureServe)
Scientific classification edit
Kingdom: Plantae
Class: Polypodiopsida
Order: Polypodiales
Family: Aspleniaceae
Genus: Asplenium
Species:
A. nidus
Binomial name
Asplenium nidus
Synonyms
  • Asplenium antiquum Makino
  • A. australasicum (J.Sm.) Hook.
  • A. ficifolium Goldm.
  • Neottopteris mauritiana Fée
  • N. musaefolia J.Sm.
  • N. nidus (L.) J.Sm.
  • N. rigida Fée
  • Thamnopteris nidus (L.) C.Presl

Asplenium nidus is an epiphytic species of fern in the family Aspleniaceae, native to tropical southeastern Asia, eastern Australia, Hawaii, Polynesia, Christmas Island, India, and eastern Africa. It is known by the common names bird's-nest fern (a name shared by other aspleniums) or simply nest fern.

A 2015 molecular study found that Asplenium nidus is polyphyletic, meaning that some populations were not closely related to others—A. nidus from Madagascar, Vanuatu and New Guinea were more closely related to other species than each other. Hence a revision with sampling of the species across its range was required to delineate the taxon and identify cryptic species.

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