Species source document

Ferns of the Witwatersrand

Ferns of the Witwatersrand is a beautifully illustrated guide to identifying and appreciating the 32 species of ferns found in the area. Ferns are not commonly associated with the grasslands or savanna of the interior, but find moist and shaded conditions in kloofs, along rivers and wetland areas. This book successfully argues for the place of ferns in our imagination of our environment here, and for their appreciation regenerating our environment inside the urban landscape.

The area it covers is Nigel in the east, Randfontein in the west, Halfway House and Krugersdorp dolomites in the north, and Klip River and Klipspruit as far as Olifantsvlei and Van Wyk's Rust in the south.

Note: Isoëtes giessii was also listed in this book but not imported, as we could not find enough information on it that indicates it occurs in Gauteng.

Illustrated by Barbara Pike and Patsy-Lynne Edkins
Witwatersrand University Press, Johannesburg, 1973

Linked species

The following 33 species were imported from this document.

Name	Vegetation type(s)	Features	Flowers & type
Black maidenhair fern Adiantum capillus-veneris	Egoli Granite Grassland	Medicinal Near water Shade	Fern Forb
Mexican maidenhair fern Adiantum poiretii poiretii	Egoli Granite Grassland	Attractive Near water Shade	Fern Forb
Grassveld Tree Fern Alsophila dregei	Egoli Granite Grassland	Good potplant Easy to grow Attractive Near water Shade Sun Semi-shade Soil: loam Soil: sandy	Tree Fern
Scented Fern Anemia caffrorum	Egoli Granite Grassland	Drought-resistant Medicinal Attractive Rocky habitat Shade Semi-shade	Fern Forb
Asplenium adiantum-nigrum	Egoli Granite Grassland	Medicinal Attractive Near water Rocky habitat Shade	Fern Forb
Ethiopian spleenwort Asplenium aethiopicum	Egoli Granite Grassland	Medicinal Near water Rocky habitat Shade	Fern Forb
Scaly Fern Asplenium cordatum	Egoli Granite Grassland	Drought-resistant Medicinal Rocky habitat Shade	Fern Forb
Pointed Hard Fern Blechnum attenuatum giganteum	Egoli Granite Grassland	Near water Rocky habitat Shade	Fern Forb
Southern Hard Fern Blechnum australe	Egoli Granite Grassland	Attractive Near water Shade	Fern Forb
Silver Fern Cerosora argentea	Egoli Granite Grassland	Near water Rocky habitat Shade Semi-shade	Fern Forb
Dolomite Lipfern Cheilanthes dolomiticola	Egoli Granite Grassland	Attractive Rocky habitat Sun Semi-shade	Fern Forb
Resurrection Fern Cheilanthes eckloniana	Egoli Granite Grassland	Drought-resistant Medicinal Attractive Rocky habitat Sun Semi-shade	Fern Forb
Cheilanthes involuta involuta	Egoli Granite Grassland	Near water Rocky habitat Shade Semi-shade	Fern Forb
Hard Lip Fern Cheilanthes viridis glauca	Egoli Granite Grassland	Rocky habitat Shade Semi-shade	Fern Forb
Grassland Fern Dryopteris athamantica	Egoli Granite Grassland	Medicinal Rocky habitat Shade Semi-shade	Fern Forb
Thin-Stemmed Forest Fern Dryopteris inaequalis inaequalis	Egoli Granite Grassland	Medicinal Near water Rocky habitat Shade	Fern Forb
Branched Horsetail Equisetum ramosissimum	Egoli Granite Grassland	Medicinal Near water Shade Semi-shade	Fern Forb
Woolly Lipfern Hemionitis hirta	Egoli Granite Grassland	Drought-resistant Medicinal Rocky habitat Shade Semi-shade	Fern Forb
Cluster Fern Hemionitis multifida	Egoli Granite Grassland	Near water Rocky habitat Sun Semi-shade	Fern Forb
Four-Pinnate Lip Fern Hemionitis quadripinnata	Egoli Granite Grassland	Medicinal Rocky habitat Sun Semi-shade	Fern Forb
Green Cliff Brake Hemionitis viridis viridis	Egoli Granite Grassland	Drought-resistant Near water Rocky habitat Shade Semi-shade	Fern Forb
Staghorn Clubmoss Lycopodiella cernua	Egoli Granite Grassland	Medicinal Attractive Near water Shade	Fern Forb
Marsilea macrocarpa	Egoli Granite Grassland	Supports grazers/browsers Edible In water Shade	Fern Forb
Common Adders-tongue Ophioglossum polyphyllum	Egoli Granite Grassland	Medicinal Near water Sun Semi-shade	Fern Forb
Southern Adder'S-Tongue Ophioglossum vulgatum	Egoli Granite Grassland	Near water Sun Semi-shade	Fern Forb
American Royal Fern Osmunda regalis	Egoli Granite Grassland	Useful Medicinal Attractive Near water In water Rocky habitat Shade Sun Semi-shade Soil: clay Soil: loam	Fern Forb Perennial
Hard Fern Pellaea calomelanos calomelanos	Egoli Granite Grassland	Medicinal Edible Attractive Rocky habitat Shade Semi-shade	Fern Forb
Common Bracken Pteridium aquilinum aquilinum	Egoli Granite Grassland	Edible Shade Semi-shade	Fern Forb
Cretan brake Pteris cretica	Egoli Granite Grassland	Attractive Near water Rocky habitat Shade	Fern Forb
Ladder brake Pteris vittata	Egoli Granite Grassland	Near water Shade	Fern Forb
Drege's Spikemoss Selaginella dregei	Egoli Granite Grassland	Rocky habitat Sun	Fern Forb
Mitten's Spikemoss Selaginella mittenii	Egoli Granite Grassland	Near water Rocky habitat Shade	Fern Forb
Swamp Fern Thelypteris confluens	Egoli Granite Grassland	Attractive Near water Shade	Fern Forb

Braamfontein Spruit Ecological Corridor

Ferns of the Witwatersrand

Linked species

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