Diplazium laffanianum (Bak.) C.Chr. (1905:234)
Governor Laffan(’s) fern
Taxonomy & Nomenclature
Synonym/s: Asplenium laffanianum Baker in Gard. Chron., n.s., 17: 673 (1882)
Conservation Status
Extinct in the Wild (Copeland & Malcolm, 2014; Vojtek, 2020; Dalrymple et al., 2023; Smith et al., 2023; Christenhusz & Govaerts, 2024; POWO, 2024)
Last record: 1900 (Christenhusz & Govaerts, 2024); 1905 (Britton, 1918)
IUCN RedList status: Extinct in the Wild
Individuals have been replanted back into the wild since 2014, but have not yet become a self-sustaining population actively engaging in recruitment of young plants (sporophytes) into the (fertile) adult population (Copeland, 2019).
Distribution
Bermuda
Biology & Ecology
Hypodigm
Media
References
Original scientific description:
Baker, J. G. (1882). [description of Diplazium laffanianum]. Gardener's Chronicle 51: 673.
Other references:
Britton, N. (1918). Flora of Bermuda. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. 585 pp.
Christenhusz, Maarten J. M. and Govaerts, Rafaël. (2023). Uitgestorven. Op plantenjacht rond de wereld: 1-511. Sterck & De Vreese.
Christenhusz, Maarten J. M. and Govaerts, Rafaël. (2024). Plant extinction in the Anthropocene. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society. https://doi.org/10.1093/botlinnean/boae045 [Appendix S1]
Copeland, Alison. (2019). Re-introduction of Governor Laffan's Fern (Diplazium laffanianum) to the wild: report on plantings for calendar year 2019. Report BBP#281, Bermuda Biodiversity Project (BBP), Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo, Bermuda Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Unpublished.
Copeland, Alison and Malcolm, P. (2014a). Diplazium laffanianum. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.1. (http://www.iucnredlist.org). Downloaded on 17 July 2014.
Copeland, Alison and Malcolm, P. (2014b). Diplazium laffanianum. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2014: e.T56605187A56605215. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-1.RLTS.T56605187A56605215.en. Accessed on 10 June 2022.
Dalrymple, S. E., Abeli, T., Ewen, J. G., Gilbert, T. C., Hogg, C. J., Lloyd, N. A., Moehrenschlager, A., Rodríguez, J. P. and Smith, D. (2023). Addressing Threats and Ecosystem Intactness to Enable Action for Extinct in the Wild Species. Diversity 15: 268. https://doi.org/10.3390/d15020268
From, Margaret M. (2010). Conservation Status and re-introduction of Bermuda’s Governor Laffan fern-an endangered endemic, pp. 316-318. In: Soorae, P. S. (ed.). Global Re-introduction Perspectives: Additional case-studies from around the globe. Abu Dhabi, UAE: IUCN/SSC Re-introduction Specialist Group. xii + 352 pp. [automatic download]
Hassler, Michael. (2004-2023). World Ferns. Synonymic Checklist and Distribution of Ferns and Lycophytes of the World. Version 17.2; last update Oct. 18th, 2023. Available at: https://www.worldplants.de/ferns/ [Accessed 21 October 2023]
Houser, Dilys C., From, Margaret, Landry, Melanie, Copeland, Alison and Kellar, P. Roxanne. (2016). Systematics of Diplazium laffanianum (Athyriaceae), a Fern Species Endemic to Bermuda. American Fern Journal 106(3): 206-222. https://www.jstor.org/stable/44076101
Otto, Virginia. (1982). The Brink of Extinction. Fiddlehead Forum (Bulletin of the American Fern Society) 9(3): 17.
POWO. (2024). Plants of the World Online (online resource). Facilitated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, United Kingdom. Available at: https://powo.science.kew.org/ [Accessed 2 June 2024]
Procter, D. and Fleming, L. V. (eds.). (1999). Biodiversity: the UK Overseas Territories. Peterborough, Joint Nature Conservation Committee.
Sarkis, S. (2010). Recovery plan for six fern species from Bermuda (Diplazium laffanianum (Baker) C. Chr., Goniopteris bermudiana (Baker) comb., Ctenitis sloanei (Poepp. Ex Spreng.), Asplenium heterochroum Kunze, Asplenium dentatum L., Rumohra adiantiformis (G. Forst.) J.). Department of Conservation Services, Government of Bermuda. 27 pp.
Smith, Donal et al. (2023). Extinct in the wild: The precarious state of Earth’s most threatened group of species. Science 379(6634): eadd2889. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.add2889
Vojtek, Ján. (2020). Refining extinction estimations for plants of the UK Overseas Territories (UKOTs). MSc dissertation, Queen Mary, University of London. https://doi.org/10.34885/185
Walter, Kerry S. and Gillett, Harriet J. (eds.). (1998). 1997 IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants. Compiled by the World Conservation Monitoring Centre. Gland, Switzerland & Cambridge, UK: IUCN – The World Conservation Union. lxiv + 862 pp.
http://www.conservation.bm/governor-laffans-fern/
http://www.bermudasun.bm/Content/NEWS/Environment/Article/How-endangered-fern-was-saved-from-extinction/24/898/71027
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