Pteris cretica L., Pteridaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Common name(s): [more details]

English: cretan brake, white-line Cretan brake (var. albolineata)

Habit:  fern

Description:  "Stems slender, creeping, sparingly scaly; scales dark brown to chestnut brown. Leaves clustered to closely spaced, to 1 m. Petiole straw-colored to light brown distally, darker proximally, 10-50 cm, base sparsely scaly. Blade irregularly ovate, primarily and irregularly pedately divided, 10-30 x 6-25 cm; rachis not winged; only terminal pinna decurrent on rachis. Pinnae 1-3 pairs, well separated, blade often 5-parted with terminal pinna and 2 lateral pairs of pinnae remaining green through winter, not articulate; sterile pinnae to 25 x 0.8-1.5 cm, serrulate; fertile pinnae narrower than sterile pinnae, to ca. 11 mm wide, spiny-serrate; base acute acroscopically and decurrent (sometimes narrowly and barely so) basiscopically, glabrous; proximal pinnae with 1 (rarely 2) basiscopic lobes. Veins free, simple or forked. Sori narrow, blade tissue exposed abaxially"  (Flora of North America).

"Rhizomes short-creeping, scaly. Stipes 25-75 cm long, more or less devoid of scales except at very base. Laminae ovate or broadly ovate, 20-40 x 10-30 cm, 1-pinnate or with lower pinnae forked. Primary pinnae in 2-7 pairs, widely spaced, linear, tapering to acute apices, entire or minutely crenate at apices, 12-27 x 0.8-1.8 cm; upper pinnae adnate; lower pinnae stalked. Sori occupying whole of both margins of pinnae except at apices, protected by reflexed margins" (Webb et al., 1988; p. 35).

Habitat/ecology:  In New Zealand, in "waste ground, cemeteries, road and tracksides. This is a commonly cultivated plant and occasionally escapes." (Webb et al., 1988; p. 35).

Propagation:  Spores

Native range:  "Widely cultivated and naturalized, exact native range obscure" (GRIN).  "Believed to be native to the Old World tropics and perhaps also to southern Mexico, and it is also considered native to Hawai‘i, where it grows in lower-elevation forests"  (Staples & Herbst, 2005; pp 51-52).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawai‘i (Big) Island		Bishop Museum (U.S.A. Hawaii. Honolulu.) (1915) (voucher ID: BISH 8889) Taxon name on voucher: Pteris cretica L.
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawaiian Islands	native	Staples, George W./Herbst, Derral R. (2005) (pp. 51-52)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kaua‘i Island		Bishop Museum (U.S.A. Hawaii. Honolulu.) (1909) (voucher ID: BISH 8896) Taxon name on voucher: Pteris cretica L.
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Lāna‘i Island		Bishop Museum (U.S.A. Hawaii. Honolulu.) (1910) (voucher ID: BISH 23349) Taxon name on voucher: Pteris cretica L.
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Maui Island		Bishop Museum (U.S.A. Hawaii. Honolulu.) (1919) (voucher ID: BISH 8890) Taxon name on voucher: Pteris cretica L.
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island		Bishop Museum (U.S.A. Hawaii. Honolulu.) (1922) (voucher ID: BISH 8906) Taxon name on voucher: Pteris cretica L.
Papua New Guinea Bismarck Archipelago	Bismarck Archipelago		Peekel, P. G. [translated by E. E. Henty] (1984) (p. 18)

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia Australia (continental)	New South Wales	introduced invasive cultivated	Australian Biological Resources Study (2013) "A commonly cultivated fern, very rarely naturalised in N.S.W".
Central America Central America (Pacific rim)	Guatemala (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
China China	China (People's Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Indonesia Indonesia	Indonesia (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Japan Japan	Japan	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Mexico Mexico	Mexico (United Mexican States)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
New Zealand New Zealand	New Zealand (country)	introduced	Webb, C. J./Sykes, W. R./Garnock-Jones, P. J. (1988) (p. 35)
South America (Pacific rim) South America (Pacific rim)	Perú (Republic of)		Rejmánek, M. (1996)
Taiwan Taiwan Island	Taiwan Island	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Thailand Thailand	Thailand (Kingdom of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
United States (west coast) United States (west coast states)	USA (California)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2013)
Vietnam Vietnam	Vietnam (Socialist Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)

Indian Ocean
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
La Réunion (France) La Réunion Island	La Réunion Island	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Seychelles Seychelles Islands	Seychelles Islands	introduced	Invasive Species Specialist Group (2017)

Also reported from
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
United States (continental except west coast) United States (other states)	United States (other states)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2013)
United States (continental except west coast) United States (other states)	USA (Florida)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2013)

Comments:  Reported to be an invasive species in Peru per Rejmánek, 1996.

Control:  If you know of control methods for Pteris cretica, please let us know.