Asplenium alleniae (Aspleniaceae), a new fern species from Borneo and New Guinea

Abstract

A new species, Asplenium alleniae, is described from high elevation habitats in Sabah (Malaysia) and Papua New Guinea. Previous phylogenetic analyses of chloroplast loci determined that A. alleniae was most closely related to A. pauperequitum from New Zealand. Asplenium alleniae differs from A. pauperequitum most obviously by the acuminate apices of its longer pinnae. The combination of pinnate fronds with few pairs of primary pinnae and dark red-brown axes distinguishes A. alleniae from superficially similar species of Asplenium in Malesia. Asplenium alleniae is provisionally assessed as Endangered.