Ampelopteris
Ampelopteris is a tropical low lying fern found in northern region of Australia, New Guinea, Madagascar, Africa and India. The only species in the genus Ampelopteris is Ampelopteris prolifera. The plant prefers full sunlight and is found along water courses. Its fronds and sap are used for food and medicinal purposes ("Ampelopteris prolifera", n.d.).
The genus Ampelopteris is under the conservation code Priority 3. Ampelopteris prolifera is the only species in the genus Ampelopteris. Ampelopteris is poorly known. Priority three species are known from collections and sight records from their noted distributions (Spooner, 1997).
Link to FloraBase http://florabase.dpaw.wa.gov.au/browse/profile/52
Not found or evaluated on IUCN (Hyde, Wursten & Ballings, n.d.).
A study on the effect of aqueous extracts from various plant parts of the weed Alternanthera Philoxeroides on the germination of Ampelopteris prolifera in 2011 showed that the weed does partially inhibit the germination of A.prolifera (Mandal, A & Mondal, A.K, 2011).
The rhizome creeps along the ground and is lengthy, up to 10 mm in diameter. The rhizome scales are all dark in colour and have a triangle shape. The fronds are spaced close to each other and are curved. There are buds or side shoots situated on the stem which are slim and leather like. The stalk of the frond is up to 40cm in length, is light brown in colour and does not have any hairs. The Lamina is 100cm x 26cm and has a lance like shape. It is divided into leaflets with the top forming a point and the lower 3-4 pairs of pinnae getting smaller in size. The leaflets are thin and rectangular shaped, the stalk that attaches to the stem is either small or absent, the base is short and sometimes the very tiny bottom section of the lobe overlaps the main stem. The margin is thin and cut into sections with 5-7 pairs of linking veins below the small space between the lobes of the leaf. The hairs on the under surface are small and spread out, and the upper surface is hairless. The main stem is light brown and has no hairs. The groups of sporangia are round to oval in shape. They have sterile hairs intermixed with the sporangia for protection instead of having an indusism (Bostock, 1998).
Ampelopteris also has proliferating bulbils. They are vegetative buds that produce roots and new plants. (Croft, 1999)
Link to Encyclopedia of Life http://eol.org/pages/6105421/overview
Figure 1. FROND OF AMPELOPTERIS PROLIFERA
Ampelopteris is a tropical fern. It is suggested that Ampelopteris spreads along water courses/systems by flood waters to break off the fronds which then deposits them on the banks further downstream ("Ampelopteris prolifera", n.d.).
A study of Ampelopteris shows an usual feature that evolutionary significance. The peltate rhizome scales on Ampelopteris are a different to what is regarded as the diagnostic characteristics (Loyal, 1977).
Kingdom ⇒Plantae
Phylum ⇒Charophyta
Class ⇒Equisetopsida
Order ⇒Polypodiales
Family ⇒Thelypteridaceae
Genus ⇒Ampelopteris
("Ampelopteris prolifera (Retz.) Copel", n.d.)
Ampelopteris is found in the tropics and subtropics of Old World to New Caledonia, New Guinea and Australia ("Entry for Ampelopteris prolifera (Retz) Copeland", n.d.)
Ampelopteris is found in the following regions and provinces:
Beard’s Provinces: Eremaean Province, Northern Province.
IBRA Regions: Gascoyne, Northern Kimberley, Pilbara.
IBRA Subregions: Ashburton, Hamersley, Mitchell.
IMCRA Regions: Kimberley.
Local Government Areas (LGAs): Ashburton, Wyndham-East Kimberley
(Spooner, 1997)
Link to FloraBase map http://florabase.dpaw.wa.gov.au/browse/profile/52
Link to Atlas of Living Australia map http://bie.ala.org.au/species/urn:lsid:biodiversity.org.au:apni.taxon:269458
Figure 2. OCCURENCE OF AMPELOPTERIS IN AUSTRALIA
Ampelopteris prefers moist habitat near water or wet ground. Ampelopteris is found in full sunlight, and sometimes found scrambling in tall grass or shrubs in freshwater swamps, beside rivers, ponds and lakes. It can be found at altitudes up to 1,250m. It requires moisture and the rhizome is often found growing in water. The plant is sterile and the sori are produced during dry periods. The proliferating bulbils are effective in local dispersal ("Ampelopteris prolifera", n.d.).
No images of Ampelopteris species in Australia.
Link to Flora of Mozambique http://www.mozambiqueflora.com/speciesdata/image-display.php?species_id=101650&image_id=2
Figure 3. AMPELOPTERIS IN MOIST HABITAT
Ampelopteris is used in India for food and medicinal purposes. The plant is harvested from the wild for local use. It is sometimes grown as an ornamental plant.
Young fronds of the fern can be eaten as fresh or cooked vegetable in India. The young fronds can also be used as a laxative. The sap from the leaf is drunk in a mixture to treat meningitis and encephaliti. It is also used in traditional medicine in India. It can be propagated by seed. The leaf extract from Ampelopteris prolifera showed antiviral activity against cucumber mosaic virus ("Ampelopteris prolifera", n.d.).
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