Asplenium milnei

Asplenium milnei is a ground fern only found on Lord Howe Island. Commonly seen in lowland areas.^[1]

Asplenium milnei
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Division:	Polypodiophyta
Class:	Polypodiopsida
Order:	Polypodiales
Suborder:	Aspleniineae
Family:	Aspleniaceae
Genus:	Asplenium
Species:	A. milnei
Binomial name
Asplenium milnei Carruth.
Synonyms
Asplenium lucidum G.Forst.

Taxonomy

A global phylogeny of Asplenium published in 2020 divided the genus into eleven clades,^[2] which were given informal names pending further taxonomic study. A. milnei belongs to the "Neottopteris clade",^[3] members of which generally have somewhat leathery leaf tissue. It forms a clade with A. pteridoides and A. surrogatum, two other Lord Howe Island endemics, suggesting that all three species diverged after a single colonization of the island by their ancestor.^[4] This clade is sister to a large group of Pacific Ocean spleenworts.^[3]