Sticherus laevigatus is a climbing fern with leaves that have a beautiful geometrical shape. According to the
Porcupine! 27 published by HKU, the species is widespread in the tropics but rare in China and Hong Kong. It seems populations of the fern is only found in a few locations in the New Territories and Lantau Island within Hong Kong. The species looks similar to species found in the genus
Dicranopteris but differs in the sense that
S. laevigatus is a climber and it has a different arrangement of leaves.
While hiking in the New Territories and Lantau Island, I discovered two of the populations of the species growing in two different valleys. Unfortunately, I was unable to get a closer look due to geographical constrains. The photos below shows the population I found in the New Territories.
The population of
S. laevigatus covers a large area of the canopy in a dense forest, this differs from the
Dicranopteris spp. found in Hong Kong which usually occupies thickets. Judging from the size of the plant and the area the plant covers, the species has advantages when competing with other plants species. It is strange that the distribution is restricted in both China and Hong Kong. Just by wild guessing, the restricted distribution might be due to the subtropical climate in Hong Kong characterized by cold winters. Another reason that might be related is water supply. Both populations I found live near streams, it is possible that the plant needs a wet environment for survival.
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