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Pyrrosia polydactylos; photograph leaf0605, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons CC0leaf0605, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Pyrrosia polydactylos (Hance) Ching

Polypodiaceae · Korea, Taiwan · 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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Pyrrosia polydactylos, photograph leaf0605, CC0, via Wikimedia CommonsPyrrosia polydactylos, photograph leaf0605, CC0, via Wikimedia CommonsPyrrosia polydactylos, photograph leaf0605, CC0, via Wikimedia CommonsPyrrosia polydactylos, photograph leaf0605, CC0, via Wikimedia CommonsPyrrosia polydactylos, photograph leaf0605, CC0, via Wikimedia CommonsPyrrosia polydactylos, photograph leaf0605, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons 12 photographs ›
Habitat figures
Cold floor (1 night in 100)
2.7°C
Record low -3.6 °C in 44 years, at a typical spot in the range NASA POWER
Warmest month, mean daily high
24°C
Jun, Jul and Aug at the habitat CHELSA
Rain a year (median across the range)
3,484mm
12 months of 25 mm or more in the median year CHELSA
Open-sky light
18–36DLI
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
Wet summers: the rain comes May to September, read as a summer growing 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 “rhizomatous geophyte or epiphyte”.

Seasons

The rain rule reads a summer growing season: 70% of the median year's rain (2,323 mm of 3,309 mm) falls in May to September, warmer than the year (wet-season mean 20.9 °C against a yearly mean of 17.2 °C). Months are the habitat's, northern hemisphere; shifted six months for a southern-hemisphere collection: November to March.

Rain

3,309 mm in the median year at the habitat, 2,323 mm of it May to September. Wettest month August at 511 mm, driest month December at 75 mm. Across the grid cells of the range the year's total runs 2,785 mm to 4,216 mm, the 10th to 90th percentile of each cell's own year. The median of the cells' own yearly totals, 3,484 mm, is the year's rain at the top of the page; the 3,309 mm here is the median year's, the twelve monthly medians added, which the rain rule reads. Habitat calendar, northern hemisphere; median year across the grid cells of the range, CHELSA.

Light

Open sky over the habitat: 18 to 36 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 15, the highest 90th-percentile month 37).

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 -3.6 °C, 28 frost nights in 44 years (NASA POWER daily minima). Warmest: the 99th-percentile day is 28.9 °C. Monthly means: the coldest month's mean nightly low 6.8 °C in January (across the grid cells of the range 2.9 °C to 11.4 °C), the warmest month's mean daily high 24.4 °C in July (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: 64 to 69% 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 +603 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 “rhizomatous geophyte or 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, northern hemisphere

Habitat climate of Pyrrosia polydactylos through the yearWarmest months June, July and August, mean daily high 24 °C; coldest month January, mean nightly low 6.8 °C; 3,309 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, northern hemisphere.-10°0°10°20°30°frost28.9° 99th-percentile day, NASA POWER-3.6° lowest night in 44 years, NASA POWER°C · day and nightcold quarter02004006008001000mm rainDLI 18–36RH 64–69%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
day night rain medians and 10th–90th percentile across 134 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 °C14 / 10–1815 / 11–1918 / 14–2120 / 17–2422 / 18–2624 / 19–2724 / 20–2824 / 20–2823 / 19–2721 / 17–2518 / 14–2215 / 11–19
Night °C7 / 3–118 / 4–1311 / 7–1513 / 9–1816 / 11–2017 / 13–2218 / 13–2218 / 13–2217 / 12–2115 / 10–1912 / 8–168 / 4–13
Rain mm84 / 51–132160 / 117–191173 / 131–206214 / 158–288372 / 290–525482 / 378–701471 / 362–753511 / 393–826487 / 383–568192 / 107–37788 / 48–20575 / 46–135
DLI18 / 15–2321 / 17–2526 / 23–3130 / 28–3330 / 29–3332 / 30–3436 / 33–3732 / 30–3428 / 27–3025 / 23–2820 / 18–2418 / 15–21
RH %64 / 60–7165 / 62–7165 / 62–6966 / 63–6866 / 64–6967 / 64–6966 / 64–6968 / 66–7069 / 66–7167 / 63–7166 / 61–7264 / 59–72
How this section is made
Each figure is the median across the 134 grid cells holding the 490 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 1327:6014 (23.625, 120.725). Over 44 years there: absolute minimum -3.6 °C, 1st-percentile night 2.7 °C, 99th-percentile day 28.9 °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 134 distinct grid cells holding 490 of the 490 in-range records; extremes and elevation at the typical cell 1327:6014 (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 23.50_120.625, lapse-corrected +603 m at 6.5 °C/km. Elevation: ETOPO 2022, 1290 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: 5649658 (Polypodium polydactylon Hance, 0 records), 5825650 (Pyrrosia polydactylos (Hance) Ching, 681 records), 7412388 (Niphobolus polydactylos (Hance) Giesenh. ex Diels, 0 records), 8659358 (Niphobolus polydactylos (Hance) Giesenh., 0 records), 11037897 (Cyclophorus polydactylos (Hance) C.Chr., 0 records). No name was matched to GBIF; the keys are read from Kew's synonymy. How.

NativeKorea, Taiwan · 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 marker24.235, 121.219 · in the densest population, 508 records (100% of those in range)
Kew's description“rhizomatous geophyte or epiphyte” · “temperate” · quoted from WCVP, RBG Kew (CC BY 4.0); not derived here
Evidence usedThe map marker rests on all 509 georeferenced records inside the native range; the climate across the range on the 490 of them placed to within 10 km; the map shows only the 93 openly licensed ones, which alone would put the marker 10 km away. 19 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 5649658 (Polypodium polydactylon Hance): Kew's file holds it as Polypodium polydactylon Hance (synonym under Pyrrosia polydactylos (Hance) Ching); 0 records, from GBIF's search API on the day of the build.Records also from GBIF's key 5825650 (Pyrrosia polydactylos (Hance) Ching): Kew's file holds it as Pyrrosia polydactylos (Hance) Ching (accepted); 681 records, from GBIF's download.Records also from GBIF's key 7412388 (Niphobolus polydactylos (Hance) Giesenh. ex Diels): Kew's file holds it as Niphobolus polydactylos (Hance) Giesenh. ex Diels (synonym under Pyrrosia polydactylos (Hance) Ching); 0 records, from GBIF's search API on the day of the build.Records also from GBIF's key 8659358 (Niphobolus polydactylos (Hance) Giesenh.): Kew's file holds it as Niphobolus polydactylos (Hance) Giesenh. ex Diels (synonym under Pyrrosia polydactylos (Hance) Ching); 0 records, from GBIF's search API on the day of the build.Records also from GBIF's key 11037897 (Cyclophorus polydactylos (Hance) C.Chr.): Kew's file holds it as Cyclophorus polydactylos (Hance) C.Chr. (synonym under Pyrrosia polydactylos (Hance) Ching); 0 records, from GBIF's search API on the day of the build.
How this section is made
The map marker: the openly licensed record nearest the middle of the densest 1° population of the 509 in-range records; it decides nothing. Records outside the native range, living specimens and records marked introduced are not used; which records count.

Photographs

Pyrrosia polydactylos, photograph 1did not loadPyrrosia polydactylos, photograph 2did not loadPyrrosia polydactylos, photograph 3did not loadPyrrosia polydactylos, photograph 4did not loadPyrrosia polydactylos, photograph 5did not loadPyrrosia polydactylos, photograph 6did not load

Photographs: leaf0605, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons (6).

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

Eurya loquaiana Eurya loquaiana Golden-dotted Eurya Photo: CC BY-SA, 許文俊Chelonopsis deflexa Chelonopsis deflexa Lamiaceae Photo: CC BY, 黃美滿Ainsliaea macroclinidioides Ainsliaea macroclinidioides Asteraceae Photo: CC0, author not statedNeolitsea variabillima Neolitsea variabillima Lauraceae Photo: CC BY, Yu-Chang ChenDiplazium laxifrons Diplazium laxifrons Athyriaceae Photo: CC BY, 黃美滿Rubus parviaraliifolius Rubus parviaraliifolius Rosaceae Photo: CC BY, 雲一百香果

Other Pyrrosia 23 in the reference

Pyrrosia abbreviata Pyrrosia abbreviata Polypodiaceae Photo: CC BY, Nina KerrPyrrosia adnascens Pyrrosia adnascens Close-growing Pyrrosia Photo: CC BY, Denys VynokurovPyrrosia angustata Pyrrosia angustata Polypodiaceae Photo: CC0, author not statedPyrrosia christii Pyrrosia christii Polypodiaceae Photo: CC0, DinkumPyrrosia confluens Pyrrosia confluens Horseshoe Felt Fern Photo: CC BY-SA, Greg Tasney Pyrrosia costata Polypodiaceae Pyrrosia distichocarpa Pyrrosia distichocarpa Polypodiaceae Photo: Public domain, Daderot Pyrrosia drakeana Polypodiaceae Pyrrosia eleagnifolia Pyrrosia eleagnifolia Leather-leaf fern Photo: CC BY, William Harland Pyrrosia glabra Polypodiaceae Pyrrosia hastata Pyrrosia hastata Three-finger tongue fern Photo: CC BY, Licheng ShihPyrrosia lanceolata Pyrrosia lanceolata Lanceleaf Tongue Fern Photo: CC BY, Nina Kerr all 24 ›

Names & registers

Also known as Polypodium polydactylon; Pyrrosia pseudopolydactylis; Cyclophorus polydactylos; Niphobolus polydactylos. (WCVP, RBG Kew)

IPNIPOWOWikidataWFO

The record

Family
Polypodiaceae
Described by
(Hance) Ching
Native to
Korea, Taiwan
Wild records
509 in range · 93 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 Pyrrosia polydactylos (Hance) Ching (plant_name_id 3153640), 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 5649658, Polypodium polydactylon Hance (Kew's file holds it as Polypodium polydactylon Hance (synonym under Pyrrosia polydactylos (Hance) Ching)): GBIF occurrence search API; 681 records of GBIF's key 5825650, Pyrrosia polydactylos (Hance) Ching (Kew's file holds it as Pyrrosia polydactylos (Hance) Ching (accepted)): the GBIF download; 0 records of GBIF's key 7412388, Niphobolus polydactylos (Hance) Giesenh. ex Diels (Kew's file holds it as Niphobolus polydactylos (Hance) Giesenh. ex Diels (synonym under Pyrrosia polydactylos (Hance) Ching)): GBIF occurrence search API; 0 records of GBIF's key 8659358, Niphobolus polydactylos (Hance) Giesenh. (Kew's file holds it as Niphobolus polydactylos (Hance) Giesenh. ex Diels (synonym under Pyrrosia polydactylos (Hance) Ching)): GBIF occurrence search API; 0 records of GBIF's key 11037897, Cyclophorus polydactylos (Hance) C.Chr. (Kew's file holds it as Cyclophorus polydactylos (Hance) C.Chr. (synonym under Pyrrosia polydactylos (Hance) Ching)): GBIF occurrence search API; 1 record within 1 km of a botanic garden, herbarium or zoo left out (1 at a herbarium; Wikidata's list)
Habitat climate climate answeredasked 2026-10-22
Daily extremes (NASA POWER) climate.extremes answeredasked 2026-10-22NASA POWER (MERRA-2) daily 1981–2024, cell 23.50_120.625, lapse-corrected +603 m at 6.5 °C/km
Wikidata wikidata answeredasked 2026-10-22found by Kew's IPNI identifier 17416530-1, POWO 17416530-1
Wikipedia wikipedia nothing to reportasked 2026-10-22
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 5 datasets via GBIF.org; each carries its own licence.

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