asplenium aethiopicum － a new distributional record for northern india

Asplenium aethiopicum is reported for the first time from northern India, at Kakoi Reserve Forest, Lakhimpur, in Assam. Previous North Indian records referred to the rather similar species, A. yoshinagae. Its synonymy, description, range and phytogeographical details are given along with cytological comments on the A. aethiopicum complex. The Assamese plant, like those from South India, is identified as belonging to subsp. aethiopicum. Differences from A. yoshinagae and A. crinicaule are given. A. aethiopicum is understood to be an African element which has become a Hindu-Lankan, peninsular Indian species, and has presumably migrated northwards to Northeast India and Myanmar.