Byron Flora and Fauna Study 1999 - Byron Shire Council

A GREENPRINT FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
Basket Fern (Drynaria rigidula FAMILY POLYPODIACEAE)
Introduction. Basket Fern is an ornamental fern which has only recently been reconfirmed in New South Wales. The
occurrences in the Shire represent the southern limit of its distribution. No Recovery Plan has been prepared.
Conservation status. Basket Fern is listed on Schedule 1 (Endangered) of the TSC Act, 1995 and is not listed by Briggs
and Leigh (1996).
Habit. Epiphytic or lithophytic fern, creeping or clump-forming (Harden 1990). Two recent local records have been for
plants growing on cycad trunks (S. Bower, A. McKinley pers. obs.).
Habitat. Occurs in rainforest (Harden 1990).
Distribution. North from the Clarence River, also Queensland, Pacific Islands and Melanesia (Harden 1990). Basket
Fern is known from three locations in the study area including one discovered during the current survey. Two other
recent locations are in the Tweed (A. McKinley pers. comm.) and the Woodenbong area (R. Kooyman pers. comm.).
Regeneration and horticulture. In cultivation, Basket Fern is easily grown in a basket or pot of coarse mixture (Jones and
Clemesha 1976). Propagated by division or from spores (Elliot and Jones 1984).
Economic and cultural significance. Basket Fern is widely used in horticulture, and a number of forms have been selected
and named (Jones and Clemesha 1976). Otherwise, Basket Fern has the aesthetic and ecological values of all native
rainforest species.
Abundance and reservation. Very small numbers of plants are known in New South Wales. In Byron Shire, Basket Fern
is reserved at Cape Byron. The occurrence of Basket Fern in the Shire at the southern limit of its range and in very small
numbers suggests that the conservation of the known plants in the study area is of particular importance. Basket Fern is
common in Queensland, but there is likely to be significant genetic variation across its wide range, and the conservation
of Basket Fern at the extremity of its range is desirable.
Threats and amelioration. Threats include habitat clearance, weeds, fire, development and coastal storms. The existing
habitat requires rehabilitation and extension.
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