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Grammitis magellanica; photograph Museo del Fin del Mundo (María Regina Silva), CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons CC BYMuseo del Fin del Mundo (María Regina Silva), CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Grammitis magellanica Desv.

Polypodiaceae · Cape Provinces, Ascension +14 · listed by its family as a fern or moss

English names not checked: Wikidata's common names were not read for this page.

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Grammitis magellanica, photograph Museo del Fin del Mundo (María Regina Silva), CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia CommonsGrammitis magellanica, photograph Museo del Fin del Mundo (María Regina Silva), CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia CommonsGrammitis magellanica, photograph Leon Perrie, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia CommonsGrammitis magellanica, photograph Heidi Meudt, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia CommonsGrammitis magellanica, photograph Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia CommonsGrammitis magellanica, photograph Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons 7 photographs ›
Habitat figures
Cold floor (1 night in 100)
-2.7°C
Record low -8.3 °C in 44 years, at a typical spot in the range NASA POWER
Warmest month, mean daily high
16°C
Jan and Feb at the habitat CHELSA
Rain a year (median across the range)
2,933mm
12 months of 25 mm or more in the median year CHELSA
Open-sky light
8–38DLI
Lowest to highest month (DLI) CHELSA
The year in your months, northern hemisphere
  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec
Rain spread: 70% of the median year's rain takes 8 months, so no short rainy season. rain rule, CHELSA
Northern hemisphere unless you set your site. The chart is in the habitat's months.

Cultivation

Grouped as a fern or moss, listed under the family Polypodiaceae in the archetype table, and Kew describes it as “epiphyte”.

Seasons

The rain rule reads no short rainy season: 70% of the median year's rain (2,224 mm of 3,012 mm) takes 8 months, April to October and December. Mean temperature moves 8.7 °C between the warmest and coldest month. Months are the habitat's, southern hemisphere; shifted six months for a northern-hemisphere collection: October to April and June.

Rain

3,012 mm in the median year at the habitat, 2,224 mm of it April to October and December. Wettest month April at 319 mm, driest month February at 170 mm. Across the grid cells of the range the year's total runs 1,084 mm to 4,278 mm, the 10th to 90th percentile of each cell's own year. The median of the cells' own yearly totals, 2,933 mm, is the year's rain at the top of the page; the 3,012 mm here is the median year's, the twelve monthly medians added, which the rain rule reads. Habitat calendar, southern hemisphere; median year across the grid cells of the range, CHELSA.

Light

Open sky over the habitat: 8 to 38 mol/m²/day across the year (daily light integral, median year across the grid cells of the range, CHELSA; the lowest 10th-percentile month across the cells is 5, the highest 90th-percentile month 41).

Warmth and air
Temperature

Coldest: the 1st-percentile night over 44 years at a typical spot in the range is -2.7 °C, the absolute minimum -8.3 °C, 917 frost nights in 44 years, 20.8 a year (NASA POWER daily minima). Warmest: the 99th-percentile day is 22.3 °C. Monthly means: the coldest month's mean nightly low 0.4 °C in July (across the grid cells of the range -5.3 °C to 8.6 °C), the warmest month's mean daily high 16.4 °C in February (median year across the grid cells of the range, CHELSA). Cold floor: -2.7 °C, which is the 1st-percentile night over 44 years at a typical spot in the range (NASA POWER).

Humidity

Relative humidity at the habitat: 65 to 68% across the year (monthly means, median year across the grid cells of the range, CHELSA). A figure about the air, saying nothing about how the plant takes water.

How this section is made

Each card states this species' habitat figures with their sources, and what two fixed rules read from them; nothing here says what the plant does, wants or tolerates. The rules · the terms.

Seasons. Read from the median year of CHELSA monthly rainfall and mean temperature across the grid cells of the range: the rain rule takes the smallest set of months carrying 70% of the rain and calls it winter when its mean is more than half a degree below the year's, summer when more than that above, and neither in between; the temperature rule, used only under 120 mm, names the cooler six months when they are at least a degree cooler than the other six. Months are shifted for the other hemisphere only where the temperature curve moves 4 °C or more and the habitat lies 10° or more from the equator. A reading of the curves, not an observation of the plant.

Rain. CHELSA monthly precipitation, median year across the grid cells of the range. The rain that falls where the species is recorded; nothing about how the plant takes water.

Light. CHELSA shortwave radiation at each envelope cell, a daily-mean flux taken to a daily total and converted at 2.07 mol of PAR per MJ. The sky over the habitat, measured; what reaches a plant under a rock, a shrub or a shade cloth is not.

Temperature. NASA POWER daily minima and maxima over 44 years at a typical spot in the range, lapse-corrected -501 m to its elevation; CHELSA monthly means, median year across the grid cells of the range. The cold floor is the 1st-percentile night named in its sentence. Not a measured survival limit for any plant in a pot.

Humidity. CHELSA relative humidity, median year across the grid cells of the range.

Group. Listed under the family Polypodiaceae in the archetype table, and Kew describes it as “epiphyte”. A group is taken only where Kew's description of the species agrees with the table's listing. The table gives no figure and no prose; the cold floor is the habitat's alone.

Climate across the habitat

Habitat months, southern hemisphere

Habitat climate of Grammitis magellanica through the yearWarmest months January and February, mean daily high 16 °C; coldest month July, mean nightly low 0.4 °C; 3,012 mm of rain in the median year (the twelve monthly medians added). Medians across the range, from CHELSA; the extremes at the edge from NASA POWER. Habitat months, southern hemisphere.-10°0°10°20°30°frost22.3° 99th-percentile day, NASA POWER-8.3° lowest night in 44 years, NASA POWER°C · day and nightcold quarter0100200300400500mm rainDLI 8–38RH 65–68%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
day night rain medians and 10th–90th percentile across 15 habitat cells, CHELSA cold quarter: the three months around the coldest month's mean nightly low extremes over 44 years at a typical spot in the range, from NASA POWER, marked at the edge, in no month DLI, mol/m²/dayRH %each on its own scale
Figures by month
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Day °C16 / 10–1816 / 11–1814 / 9–1712 / 5–1510 / 2–137 / -1–126 / -1–118 / 0–119 / 2–1211 / 4–1313 / 6–1515 / 9–16
Night °C9 / 3–149 / 3–158 / 2–146 / 0–134 / -3–111 / -5–100 / -5–91 / -5–83 / -3–85 / -2–107 / 0–118 / 2–13
Rain mm196 / 86–324170 / 82–262201 / 87–352319 / 85–418310 / 88–419303 / 93–441295 / 93–378270 / 85–366226 / 74–338267 / 91–356221 / 93–322234 / 98–364
DLI37 / 31–4133 / 27–3624 / 19–2817 / 11–2011 / 6–138 / 5–1010 / 6–1214 / 10–1721 / 18–2528 / 26–3235 / 32–3838 / 33–41
RH %65 / 62–6966 / 62–6866 / 62–6968 / 63–7067 / 63–7167 / 63–7167 / 63–7068 / 63–7066 / 62–7065 / 62–7065 / 61–7065 / 62–70
How this section is made
Each figure is the median across the 15 grid cells holding the 15 in-range records, with the 10th–90th percentile span across those cells after the slash where it differs. A dash is a month one or more of those cells has no figure for in the grid (a variable CHELSA does not carry there), so no median is taken rather than one over fewer cells. Extremes and elevation were read at a typical spot in the range, cell 2732:2121 (-46.625, -73.925). Over 44 years there: absolute minimum -8.3 °C, 1st-percentile night -2.7 °C, 99th-percentile day 22.3 °C. Normals: CHELSA V2.1 1981–2010 climatology, 0.05° cells (each the mean of ~36 1 km pixels). Across the range: median and 10th–90th percentile of each month across the 15 distinct grid cells holding 15 of the 15 in-range records; extremes and elevation at the typical cell 2732:2121 (its coldest month's mean nightly low nearest the median across cells); its position is the cell centre. Extremes: NASA POWER (MERRA-2) daily 1981–2024, cell -46.50_-73.750, lapse-corrected -501 m at 6.5 °C/km. Elevation: ETOPO 2022, 11 m (cell mean).

Natural habitat

Native range as published by WCVP; the marker is where the records are densest and decides nothing: the climate was read across the cells of the in-range records placed well enough to read one, not at the marker.
Openly licensed records inside the range, framed on where they fall.

This species has no GBIF key of its own. Its records are GBIF's under the keys of the names Kew's World Checklist holds as this plant: 3750884 (Grammitis billardierei var. magellanica (Desv.) de la Sota, 0 records), 5649895 (Polypodium billardierei var. magellanicum (Desv.) C.Chr., 0 records), 5650809 (Polypodium magellanicum (Desv.) Copel., 0 records), 7339109 (Grammitis magellanica Desv., 58 records). No name was matched to GBIF; the keys are read from Kew's synonymy. How.

NativeCape Provinces, Ascension, New South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania, Victoria, Antipodean Is., Chatham Is., New Zealand North, New Zealand South, Argentina South, Chile Central, Chile South, Juan Fernández Is., Amsterdam-St.Paul Is., Tristan da Cunha · regions are the level-3 units of the World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions, as Kew's World Checklist records ranges, some under historical names such as Yugoslavia or Czechoslovakia (how).
Map marker-54.69, -67.83 · in the densest population, 20 records (40% of those in range)
Kew's description“epiphyte” · “temperate” · quoted from WCVP, RBG Kew (CC BY 4.0); not derived here
Evidence usedThe map marker rests on all 50 georeferenced records inside the native range; the climate across the range on the 15 of them placed to within 10 km; the map shows only the 35 openly licensed ones, which alone would put the marker 7 km away. 2 records outside the WCVP native range not used. 35 in-range records are placed to worse than 10 km, or with no stated accuracy (admitted only as a person's observation to three decimals), and stay on the map but off the climate.
Other GBIF keysRecords also from GBIF's key 3750884 (Grammitis billardierei var. magellanica (Desv.) de la Sota): Kew's file holds it as Grammitis billardierei var. magellanica (Desv.) de la Sota (synonym under Grammitis magellanica Desv.); 0 records, from GBIF's search API on the day of the build.Records also from GBIF's key 5649895 (Polypodium billardierei var. magellanicum (Desv.) C.Chr.): Kew's file holds it as Polypodium billardierei var. magellanicum (Desv.) C.Chr. (synonym under Grammitis magellanica Desv.); 0 records, from GBIF's search API on the day of the build.Records also from GBIF's key 5650809 (Polypodium magellanicum (Desv.) Copel.): Kew's file holds it as Polypodium magellanicum (Desv.) Copel. (synonym under Grammitis magellanica Desv.); 0 records, from GBIF's search API on the day of the build.Records also from GBIF's key 7339109 (Grammitis magellanica Desv.): Kew's file holds it as Grammitis magellanica Desv. (accepted); 58 records, from GBIF's download.
How this section is made
The map marker: the openly licensed record nearest the middle of the densest 1° population inside the densest 4° block of the 50 in-range records; it decides nothing. Records outside the native range, living specimens and records marked introduced are not used; which records count.

Photographs

Grammitis magellanica, photograph 1did not loadGrammitis magellanica, photograph 2did not loadGrammitis magellanica, photograph 3did not loadGrammitis magellanica, photograph 4did not loadGrammitis magellanica, photograph 5did not loadGrammitis magellanica, photograph 6did not load

Photographs: Museo del Fin del Mundo (María Regina Silva), CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (2); Leon Perrie, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Heidi Meudt, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (2).

Similar habitat climate The 6 nearest by mean daily high, mean nightly low and rain, month by month. How.

Halocarpus biformis Halocarpus biformis Yellow Pine Photo: CC BY, Taylor Davies-ColleyAstelia nervosa Astelia nervosa Bush flax Photo: CC BY, Angus CampbellCoprosma colensoi Coprosma colensoi Rubiaceae Photo: CC BY, Lorraine CookNeopanax colensoi Neopanax colensoi Araliaceae Photo: CC0, Henry HartCelmisia graminifolia Celmisia graminifolia Whangarei Heads Daisy Photo: CC BY, Angus CampbellPhilesia magellanica Philesia magellanica Chilean bellflower Photo: CC BY, Sebastián Saiter V.

Other Grammitis 7 in the reference

Grammitis billardierei Grammitis billardierei Polypodiaceae Photo: CC BY, Nom. rev. Grammitis colombiensis Polypodiaceae Grammitis firma Polypodiaceae Grammitis flabelliformis Polypodiaceae Grammitis mathewsii Polypodiaceae Grammitis moniliformis Grammitis moniliformis Polypodiaceae Photo: CC BY, Dairo Escobar Grammitis xiphopteroides Polypodiaceae

Names & registers

Also known as Grammitis billardierei var. magellanica; Polypodium billardierei var. magellanicum; Polypodium gramineum; Polypodium magellanicum; Grammitis linearis and 7 more. (WCVP, RBG Kew)

IPNIPOWOWikidataWFO

The record

Family
Polypodiaceae
Described by
Desv.
Native to
Cape Provinces, Ascension, New South Wales +13
Wild records
50 in range · 35 open

Every figure here is derived from public data by a stated rule and names its source; nothing about this species is written for its page by a person or by AI, apart from the marked, credited quotations. How →

Where this page came from built 2026-10-22
Kew's names (WCVP) kew.names answeredas of 2026-06-04Kew's entry Grammitis magellanica Desv. (plant_name_id 3153918), read from Kew's names file
GBIF species record gbif.species not askedGBIF's backbone holds no one accepted species of this name, and a name it holds only as another species' synonym is not taken for this one, so GBIF's records were not asked
GBIF synonyms gbif.synonyms not askedGBIF's backbone holds no one accepted species of this name, and a name it holds only as another species' synonym is not taken for this one, so GBIF's records were not asked
GBIF common names gbif.vernacular not askedGBIF's backbone holds no one accepted species of this name, and a name it holds only as another species' synonym is not taken for this one, so GBIF's records were not asked
WCVP native range wcvp.distribution answeredas of 2026-06-04
GBIF occurrence records gbif.occurrences answeredasked 2026-10-22this species has no GBIF key of its own; its records are read under GBIF's keys for the names Kew's file holds as this plant, never by a name matched; GBIF occurrence download https://doi.org/10.15468/dl.hbdw64, of 2026-10-21; 0 records of GBIF's key 3750884, Grammitis billardierei var. magellanica (Desv.) de la Sota (Kew's file holds it as Grammitis billardierei var. magellanica (Desv.) de la Sota (synonym under Grammitis magellanica Desv.)): GBIF occurrence search API; 0 records of GBIF's key 5649895, Polypodium billardierei var. magellanicum (Desv.) C.Chr. (Kew's file holds it as Polypodium billardierei var. magellanicum (Desv.) C.Chr. (synonym under Grammitis magellanica Desv.)): GBIF occurrence search API; 0 records of GBIF's key 5650809, Polypodium magellanicum (Desv.) Copel. (Kew's file holds it as Polypodium magellanicum (Desv.) Copel. (synonym under Grammitis magellanica Desv.)): GBIF occurrence search API; 58 records of GBIF's key 7339109, Grammitis magellanica Desv. (Kew's file holds it as Grammitis magellanica Desv. (accepted)): the GBIF download
Habitat climate climate answeredasked 2026-10-22
Daily extremes (NASA POWER) climate.extremes answeredasked 2026-10-22NASA POWER (MERRA-2) daily 1981–2024, cell -46.50_-73.750, lapse-corrected -501 m at 6.5 °C/km
Wikidata wikidata answeredasked 2026-10-22found by Kew's IPNI identifier 17111450-1, POWO 17111450-1
Wikipedia wikipedia nothing to reportasked 2026-10-22
iNaturalist taxon inat.taxon not asked
iNaturalist photographs, wild inat.photos.wild not asked
iNaturalist photographs, cultivated inat.photos.cultivated not asked
GBIF media gbif.media not askedGBIF's backbone holds no one accepted species of this name, and a name it holds only as another species' synonym is not taken for this one, so GBIF's records were not asked
Wikimedia Commons commons answeredasked 2026-10-22
OpenAlex papers openalex not askednot yet asked for this reference; a later fill takes the papers from OpenAlex's snapshot

Every source is recorded as having answered, reported nothing, refused, failed, not been asked, or answered twice where one answer is taken (“not taken: two items answered”), and, for a source asked when this page was built, when: the figures are as the source held them that day; a source read from a file (Kew's World Checklist, a GBIF download) says "as of" the file's day instead; a row carried from an earlier build of the page names that build instead. Only “nothing to report” is ever shown as an absence. Records came from 18 datasets via GBIF.org; each carries its own licence.

Cultifolio

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