Actiniopteris radiata

Actiniopteris radiata (Sw.) Link, Fil. Spec. 80 1841. (Syn: Acropteris dichotoma (Kuhn) Farw. ; Asplenium polydactylon Webb ; Blechnum flabellatum C.Presl ; Acrostichum dichotomum Forssk. ; Actiniopteris dichotoma Kuhn ; Pteris dichotoma Kuhn; Acropteris radiata (Sw.) Link ; Asplenium radiatum Sw. ; Blechnum radiatum (Sw.) C.Presl ; Acrostichum radiatum (Sw.) Poir. ; Actiniopteris australis var. radiata (Sw.) C.Chr. ; Pteris dichotoma Kuhn ; Pteris radiata (Sw.) Bojer );
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Africa, Arabian Peninsula, Iran to Myanmar: Afghanistan, Angola, Botswana, Cameroon, Cape Provinces, Cape Verde, Chad, Comoros, Djibouti, Ethiopia, India, Iran, Kenya, KwaZulu-Natal, Madagascar, Mali, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nigeria, Northern Provinces, Oman, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, West Himalaya, Yemen, Zambia, Zaïre, Zimbabwe as per POWO;
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Terrestrial herbs with erect or suberect, densely scaly, rhizome, 2 x 2.5 cm. Scales 2-4 x 0.1-0.5 mm, linear-lanceolate, dark brown in the middle, paler along margin, entire. Fronds 3-4 x 3-4.5 cm, simple, flabellate; stipe 8-10 cm long; lamina dichotomously lobed, lobes linear, 2-4 x 0.1-0.15 mm, lobed; fertile lamina narrower. Sori linear, marginal, covered by the reflexed margins of the pinnae lobes. Sporangial capsule 250 x 225 µm, subglobose, stalk 375 µm. Spores 62.5 x 50 µm, trilete, tetrahedral, rugulose to verrucate.

Growing in grasslands and dry decidous forests.
India, Sri Lanka, United Arab Republic, Iran, Pakistan, Africa, Mascaren Islands, Iran and Afganistan
(Attributions- K. P. Rajesh
 
Actiniopteris radiata (‘Actiniopteris’ – ‘ray fern’) is a widely distributed fern occurring throughout Africa and adjacent islands, Madagascar, Arabia, Iran, Afghanistan, Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, Burma and Australia.
This species is found in hot, dry habitats, growing at the base of rocks and in crevices, but also on deep soil in shady places. It is common in deciduous woodland with perennially high temperatures and low rainfall, ranging from 500m to 1300m.
The distinctive fronds issue from a prostrate rhizome and are somewhat dimorphic. The laminae are 15-45mm long and fan-shaped with a spread of some 180 degrees, the tip of each segment bearing 2-5 teeth.
Tests have shown that an aqueous and ethanolic extract of Actiniopteris radiata exhibits potent analgesic properties and antibacterial activity against Salmonella typhi and Escherichia coli. The species also shows anti-fertility, styptic, anthelmintic and anti-tubercular properties. Major chemical constituents are hentriacontane, hentriacontanol, β-sitosterol, β-sitosterol palmitate, β-sitosterol-D-glucoside and quercetin-3-rutinoside [3][4] 
(From Wikipedia on 7.11.14)
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Photo taken on- 9.10.2009

It is a seasonal fern.

At- Viratnagar (Jaipur)

Actinopteris radiata

Yes it is.

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Actiniopteris radiata (Sw.) Link SN Oct 51 : 1 post by 1 author. Attachments (3)
Actiniopteris radiata (Sw.) Link,
small fern in the hills and on old walls

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Satara, Oct 2014 :: Requesting ID validation :: ARKNOV-13 : 4 posts by 2 authors. Attachments (3)
Requesting to please validate ID of this dried fern member captured near Satara, Maharashtra in October 2014.
Is this Actiniopteris dichotoma?
Was informed that it is called ‘Bhuimad’ in Marathi and is kind of endangered.
I did not find any pics for this fern in efi database (if its is Actiniopteris dichotoma)
Yes, that’s Actiniopteris radiata (do use my book check-list to see what names are used!). It is common to find it like this in the dry season, but you can dig it up and soak it out in a bucket of water and it goes green again.
I am surprised to hear it is perhaps rare in Maharashtra – and I wonder if that is correct?  You can find it very commonly in S. India and also around Agra and even around Delhi.  It is a very pretty little thing like a tiny miniature fan-palm and can be cultivated too (at low altitude) – but requires good drainage, perhaps in a pot stood half in the ground. It’s an African element in India.

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It is my pleasure to share few images of Actiniopteris radiata (Pteridaceae)

Ref: http://florakarnataka.ces.iisc.ernet.in/hjcb2/herbsheet.php?id=1&cat=3 

Habit: Herb- Fern 

Habitat: Rock crevices in a scrub forest 

Sighting: Magadi, Ramanagara, Karnataka, about 900 msl 

Date: 15-08-2015

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Id of a small plant from Kaas Plteau – ID22072020SH1 : 6 posts by 3 authors. Attachments (1)- 1 mb.
Going through some old, unidentified photos.
What is the botanical name of this plant ?
In Marathi we call it ‘ भुईताड’ (भुई means earth and ताड means Palmyra Palm). Maybe the name is derived from the shape of the leaves which are similar to Palmyra.
Location -Kaas Plateau (Maharashtra)
Date – September 2009

Check for Actiniopteris species (A. radiata ???). A fern species.  

Appears close to Actiniopteris radiata, as pointed out by …

Yes, that’s right – common in dry places throughout S. and C. India and reaches the Himalayan region in Nepal. A very delightful little fern. But seems very hard to grow, as it is difficult to get the watering right. I tried several times, but after a couple of years it always dwindled. Yet it happily grows on old castle walls (as at Hyderabad Fort, and many other places), seasonally dry roadside rocks etc.
Still Actiniopteris radiata is one of my favourite ferns.