''Asplenium milnei'' is a ground

fern A fern (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta ) is a member of a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. The polypodiophytes include all living pteridophytes except ...

only found on

Lord Howe Island Lord Howe Island (; formerly Lord Howe's Island) is an irregularly crescent-shaped volcanic remnant in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand, part of the Australian state of New South Wales. It lies directly east of mainland ...

. Commonly seen in lowland areas.

Taxonomy

A global phylogeny of ''Asplenium'' published in 2020 divided the genus into eleven clades, which were given informal names pending further taxonomic study. ''A. milnei'' belongs to the "''Neottopteris'' clade", members of which generally have somewhat leathery leaf tissue. It forms a clade with '' A. pteridoides'' and '' A. surrogatum'', two other Lord Howe Island endemics, suggesting that all three species diverged after a single colonization of the island by their ancestor. This clade is sister to a large group of Pacific Ocean spleenworts.

References

* milnei Endemic flora of Lord Howe Island Ferns of Australia {{Polypodiales-stub