Blechnum tabulare

Names and Synonyms

Scientific Names

Accepted name

Synonyms

• Lomariocycas tabularis
• Blechnum tabulare var. imperiale
• Onoclea boryana
• Pteris osmundoides
• Pteris tabularis
• Spicanta tabularis
• Blechnum schottianum
• Lomaria cinnamomea
• Lomaria cycadoides
• Lomaria dalgairnsiae
• Lomaria gueinzii
• Blechnum cycadoides
• Blechnum dalgairnsiae
• Blechnum gueinzii
• Lomaria tabularis
• Lonchitis-aspera tabularis
• Spicanta osmundoides
• Lomaria boryana
• Blechnum boryanum
• Lonchitis-aspera tabularis var. saligna

Regional and Traditional Names

Sources: Wikidata

Taxonomical Classification

This plant belongs to the kingdom Plantae and the phylum Streptophyta, falling under the class Equisetopsida. Within the subclass Polypodiinae and order Polypodiales, it is classified under the family Aspleniaceae. Ultimately, it is identified by the genus Blechnum.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Distribution

This plant exhibits a diverse range of locations across the African continent. In West Tropical Africa, its presence has been specifically documented in Nigeria. Moving into the West-Central Tropical Africa region, the species can be found in Cameroon and Gabon. Additionally, its distribution extends further east into Burundi and Rwanda. Together, these findings highlight the plant's spread across various tropical environments.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Botanical Identification

Ecology

The ecology of Blechnum tabulare is characterized by its ability to inhabit a broad altitudinal gradient, allowing it to persist across diverse mountain and lowland landscapes. This species can be found at elevations ranging from 0 m AMSL to a maximum of 1960 m AMSL, demonstrating significant adaptability to varying climatic conditions and temperature regimes. Such an extensive elevational range suggests that the plant is capable of thriving in both humid, tropical lowland environments and more temperate, montane forest ecosystems. This ecological plasticity enables it to occupy various niches within forest understories or shaded rocky substrates, where moisture availability and light levels are regulated by the surrounding canopy.

Elevational range max:

1960 m AMSL

Elevational range min:

0 m AMSL

Life history

The life history of Blechnum tabulare is characterized by its status as a perennial organism, allowing it to persist in its environment over many growing seasons. Functioning as a geophyte, the plant relies on underground storage organs to survive varying environmental conditions, which also categorizes its biological strategy as a cryptophyte. This combination of life forms enables the plant to maintain long-term stability within its ecological niche through specialized survival mechanisms.

Life form :

geophyte

Life form :

cryptophyte

Lifecycle :

perennial

Morphology

The morphology of Blechnum tabulare is characterized by its growth form as a non-woody herb, typically manifesting as a self-supporting plant rather than a climber, liana, or vine. It functions as an independent organism, lacking parasitic tendencies, and is primarily terrestrial in its ecological habit rather than being an epiphyte or aquatic species. The plant exhibits a growth habit ranging from semiaquatic to terrestrial environments. In terms of stature, it is a relatively small plant, with a height that varies from a minimum of 0.3 m to a maximum of 1.5 m.

Aquatic :

terrestrial

Climber :

self-supporting

Epiphyte :

terrestrial

Growth form :

herb

Parasite :

independent

Plant height max:

1.5 m

Plant height min:

0.3 m

Woodiness :

non-woody

Sources: Global Inventory of Floras and Traits (GIFT)

Chemicals

Blechnum tabulare has 1 reported phytochemicals identified across 0 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported chemicals include rosmarinic acid.

rosmarinic acid

1. Plant biology (Stuttgart, Germany)