Helminthostachys zeylanica

Andel, T. R. van, Mazumdar, J., Barth, E. N. T. & Veldkamp, J. F., 2018, Possible Rumphius specimens detected in Paul Hermann’s Ceylon herbarium (1672 - 1679) in Leiden, The Netherlands, Blumea 63 (1), pp. 11-19 : 13

Helminthostachys zeylanica

Folio 92 bears a specimen of the fern Helminthostachys zeylanica (L.) Hook. ( Ophioglossaceae ) annotated by Hermann as ‘Ophioglossum laciniatum Rumph.’ ( Fig. 6 ). This fern occurs in South-East Asia and Australia ( Bharali et al. 2017). Linnaeus’ description in the Flora Zeylanica ( Linnaeus 1747: 178) is partly based on Hermann’s notes in the Museum Zeylanicum ( Sherard 1717: 6), which only mention the Sinhalese names ‘Paba’ and ‘Paniba’ and the use of this fern to make fences, but do not cite Rumphius. No specimens of this fern are present in the Hermann collections in London or Erfurt. In the catalogue of the Paris collections, two specimens of ‘Ophioglossum’ are present (on page 136 and 148), identified by Lourteig (1966: 31) as O. circinnatum Burm.f. (now Lygodium circinatum (Burm.f.) Sw. ) and O. flexuosum L. (now Lygodium flexuosum (L.) Sw.). Both specimens bear a reference to Rumphius’ published work, probably noted by Burman. Gunawardena (1975) interpreted Hermann’s species as Lygodium sp. ( Schizaeaceae ), possibly based on Burman’s Thesaurus Zeylanicus (1737) . Rumphius (1750: 153) described the plant as the ‘incised snake tongue’ and mentioned that the young shoots are cooked and eaten as asparagus. An illustration of this species was published in the Herbarium Amboinense ( Fig. 7 ).

Figures

Fig. 6 Folio 92, Vol. II of the Hermann herbarium in Leiden. Helminthostachys zeylanica. — Photograph: Naturalis Biodiversity Center.

Fig. 7 Illustration of Helminthostachys zeylanica from the printed version of the Herbarium Amboinense (Rumphius 1750: 152).