NEW RECORDS EXTEND DISTRIBUTIONS OF THREE SPECIES OF HYMENOPHYLLACEAE (PTERIDOPHYTA) TO THE MAULE REGION, CHILE

Abstract

This article reports the occurrence of three species of Hymenophyllaceae in the coast range of the Maule region in central Chile. The discovery of Hymenoglossum cruentum (Cav.) K. Presl., Hymenophyllum darwinii Hook.f. ex Bosch y Trichomanes exsectum Kunze at the Fundo San Pedro/ Las Cañas (35°29’S - 72°22’W) represents sizeable extensions of the known ranges of all three ferns, which are mainly associated with humid temperate forests further south. These findings provide further evidence that humid gully habitats in the Mediterranean climate of central Chile harbour many elements of the temperate rainforests which currently dominate landscapes further south.