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Raurenga – Kidney Fern – Hymenophyllum Nephrophyllum

March 4, 2020

Here’s a native New Zealand fern that grabs your attention. The distinctive shape of the shiny, translucent fronds makes the Kidney fern hard to miss. I came across a few while exploring the Oparara Basin on the West Coast of NZ in December 2019 and Paparoa National Park in December 2020.

Adding to their distinctive appearance is the unusual placement of the sori. Typically found on the underside of fronds, on Kidney ferns they are located around the edge of mature fronds.

These sori contain the sporangia where spores are formed and dispensed. On the Kidney fern the sporangia are housed in the stalks clearly visible in the image of a mature Kidney fern frond below.

Close up of Kidney Fern frond with mature sori.
Close up of Kidney Fern frond with sori around the margin, some of which have clearly done their thing. Spores dispersed; mission accomplished. Oparara Basin, West Coast, New Zealand, December 2019. Photo © Rob Edwards CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

 

Kidney Fern - Oparara, West Coast, NZ
Cluster of Kidney fern fronds, one fertile frond with immature sori centre of picture. Oparara Basin, December 2019. Photo © Rob Edwards CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

 

Kidney Fern - Raurenga - West Coast, NZ
Several fertile Kidney fern fronds with mature sori, shimmering in the dappled forest light on a beautiful West Coast day. Oparara Basin, December 2019.Photo © Rob Edwards CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

 

Kidney Ferns established on tree trunk
A flock of kidney ferns, unaware of my presence, make their way up a mossy tree trunk in search of some mid-afternoon sun. Oparara Basin, December 2019. Photo © Rob Edwards CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

 

Kidney fern on underside of log
Kidney ferns on the underside of a fallen tree. Paparoa NP, December 2020. Photo © Rob Edwards CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

 

About the Kidney Fern – Hymenophyllum nephrophyllum

This native fern is found only in New Zealand and not likely to be confused with any other. Its unique shape sets it apart from other NZ ferns. Hymenophyllum nephrophyllum is a creeping fern that tends to form mats on tree trunks, rocks and on the ground. The shiny green fronds can be anything from around 17mm long x 25mm wide to 65mm x 105mm wide.1

Nomenclature/Etymology

As seems to often be the case, the Kidney fern has cycled through several names before settling on Hymenophyllum nephrophyllum. This fern belongs to the Hymenophyllaceae 2 family. The first part of the scientific name indicates the genus – Hymenophyllum.3 The second half is apparently derived from the Greek ‘nephro’ meaning ‘kidney-shaped’ and ‘phyllus’ meaning ‘leaved’ – a reference to the shape of the frond.4

Common names: kidney fern, raurenga, konehu, kopakopa.

Distribution and Habitat of the Kidney Fern

Map of Kidney Fern distribution 2016
Hymenophyllum nephrophyllum distribution map based on databased records at AK, CHR, OTA and WELT. Image: K. Boardman © Landcare Research 2016 CC-BY 3.0 NZ

The Kidney fern can be found in Northland, Auckland, the Volcanic Plateau, Gisborne, Taranaki and the Southern North Island. On the mainland it’s found in the Marlborough Sounds, North-Western Nelson, Westland and Fiordland and southern Southland.5 Also the Chatham Islands and Stewart Island.

In terms of altitude they typically live between 10-780m – lowlands and mountainside forest ecosystems.6 As mentioned above, they tend to form mats on the forest floor, tree trunks, banks and rocky areas. They don’t transplant and are not commercially available due to the difficulty of propagation.

Click on the map to see a larger version of distribution data from Landcare Research.

You can also checkout inaturalist.org for distribution information, images and recent sightings.

Sources & further reading

  • http://www.nzflora.info/factsheet/Taxon/Hymenophyllum-nephrophyllum.html
  • http://nzpcn.org.nz/flora_details.aspx?ID=1322
  • https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/340730-Hymenophyllum-nephrophyllum
  • http://www.nzplants.auckland.ac.nz/en/about/ferns/native-ferns/hymenophyllaceae-filmy-ferns/cardiomanes-reniforme-trichomanes-reniforme-hymenophyllum-neph.html
  • https://maoriplantuse.landcareresearch.co.nz/WebForms/PeoplePlantsDetails.aspx?firstcome=firstcome&PKey=5F01CF55-4522-490C-BCAB-6414BA942108

References

  1. Those figures from http://www.nzflora.info/factsheet/Taxon/Hymenophyllum-nephrophyllum.html. Other sources seem to vary in their numbers. Next time I’ll take a ruler.
  2. cf. http://www.nzflora.info/factsheet/Taxon/Hymenophyllaceae.html
  3. cf http://www.nzflora.info/factsheet/Taxon/Hymenophyllum.html
  4. I’m completely ignorant of how botanical names are formed, but whereas those names may be derived from Greek, they certainly look like Latin in their form. Are they actual Latin words derived from Greek? Or are they Greek words adapted to create botanical nomenclature? Someone knows, but alas not I at this point.
  5. cf http://www.nzflora.info/factsheet/Taxon/Hymenophyllum-nephrophyllum.html
  6. According to http://www.nzflora.info/factsheet/Taxon/Hymenophyllum-nephrophyllum.html
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