Cranfillia fullagari, synonym Blechnum fullagarii,[2] is a fern in the family Blechnaceae. The specific epithet honours James Fullagar, who collected plants on Lord Howe Island for the Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne.[3]
The plant is a terrestrial or lithophytic fern. The prominent rhizome has narrow and twisted apical scales. Its fronds are 30–50 cm long and 8–14 cm wide.[3]
The species was first described in 1874 by Ferdinand von Mueller in the genus Lomaria.[4] Although Mueller spelt the name Lomaria fullageri, using an e in the epithet, he referred to the surname "Fullagar".[5] In 1905, Carl Christensen transferred the species to Blechnum, spelling the epithet fullagari.[6][7] The spelling fullagarii is found in some sources;[3] Article 60.8 of the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants only allows the use of a single "i" with names ending in "er" not "ar".[8] In 2016, André Luís de Gasper and Vinícius Antonio de Oliveira Dittrich transferred the species to Cranfillia as Cranfillia fullagari.[9]
The fern is endemic to Australia's subtropical Lord Howe Island in the Tasman Sea. It is restricted to the cloud forest on the summit of Mount Gower.[3]
Cranfillia fullagari, synonym Blechnum fullagarii, is a fern in the family Blechnaceae. The specific epithet honours James Fullagar, who collected plants on Lord Howe Island for the Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne.
