Table 1.
Major characters delineating Actinostachysminuta from A.wagneri, A.spirophylla and A.plana
| Character | A.wagneri (Holttum 1955; Reed 1947) | A.spirophylla (Holttum 1955; Reed 1947) | A.plana (Reed 1947) | A.minuta |
| Habitat | Epiphytic on stumps and bases of trees | Epiphytic in moss-cushions on trees | Epiphytic on tree ferns | Strictly epiphytic on trunks of the tree fern Sphaeropterispolypoda |
| Stipe | Indistinct | Indistinct | Distinct (5.5–7.5 long mm) flat | Distinct (5–8 mm long) triangular in transection |
| Lamina (sterile portion) length (cm) | 6–20 | 4–8 | 5.5–10.2 | 2.5–3.7 |
| Lamina (sterile portion) width (mm) | 0.5–0.7 | Ca. 1.5 | 1.4–1.74 | 0.8–1.0 |
| Number of stomatal rows on each side of costa | 1 | 1 | Not described | 1 |
| Sorophore length (mm) | 7–15 | 4–8 | 2.5–4.8 | 4–6 |
| Sorophore number | 2 to 5 | 1 to 3 | 3 to 6 but usually 4 | 1 to 4 but usually 1 |
| Sorophore lamina apex | Not bifid, glabrous | Not described | Bifid or toothed | Bifid with profuse white long hairs |
| Sorophore lamina width (mm) | Not described | Not described | 0.5–0.8 | 0.5–0.6 wide |
| Sporangia | Biseriate with brown hairs | Biseriate (sometimes apparently tetraseriate) and glabrous | Biseriate | Biseriate and glabrous |
| Spore surface | Striate | Striate | Smooth | Smooth |
| Distribution | Northeastern Australia, Indonesia (Borneo, Moluccas), Malaysia (Peninsular Malaysia), Papua New Guinea, Singapore, Thailand | Indonesia (Moluccas), Malaysia (Peninsular Malaysia), Micronesia (Ponape) | New Caledonia (Sommet du Mont Mi) | Philippines (Mindanao) |