# Manual of the New Zealand Flora/Filices

Additions and Corrections
Order XCIII. FILICES.
Perennial or very rarely annual plants, usually herbaceous but sometimes arboreous (tree-ferns). Stems generally reduced to a rhizome, which may be short and tufted, or long and creeping or climbing; or, in the case of tree-ferns, produced into an erect caudex or trunk. Leaves (fronds) either crowded at the end of the rhizome or distantly placed along it, continuous with the rhizome or jointed to it, sometimes simple and entire, but usually more or less deeply pinnately lobed or divided and frequently repeatedly so, more rarely dichotomously branched; always circinate in vernation with the exception of the Ophioglossaceæ. Spore-cases or sporangia usually arranged in groups (sori) on the under-surface or margins of the fertile fronds, which are either similar to the sterile fronds, or narrower and more contracted, the divisions sometimes becoming linear and spike-like. Sori very various in size and shape and position, naked or covered when young by the recurved margin of the frond or by a special involucre (indusium). Sporangia many or rarely few in a sorus, often mixed with jointed hairs or scales, stalked or sessile, usually furnished with a complete or incomplete ring or annulus, dehiscing by a transverse or vertical slit, free or rarely coherent into a compound sporangium (synangium). Spores numerous, bilateral or tetrahedral.
Ferns constitute one of the largest and most generally distributed of the families of plants, and are found in all quarters of the world, although most abundant in moist climates. It is difficult to estimate the number of species, on account of the divergent views of authors, but they cannot be less than 3500. In the subjoined account of the New Zealand species I have adopted the ​limitation of the genera proposed in Hooker and Baker's "Synopsis Filicum," that being the arrangement followed in the Handbook, Bentham's "Flora Australiensis," and other colonial floras, and the one acquiesced in by most English systematists. But European pteridologists as a rule accept a much larger number of genera, with a somewhat different sequence. And it must be admitted that Polypodium, Nephrodium, Asplenium, and other genera, as defined in the Synopsis, are for the most part artificial assemblages of species, possessing very diverse characters and relationships. But though it is comparatively easy to separate a group here and there as being undoubtedly worthy of generic rank, it is admittedly a matter of great difficulty to prepare good and natural generic subdivisions for the whole order, and although many attempts have been made not one of them has received a wide acceptance. The most recent classification is that given in Engler and Prantl's "Die Naturlichen Pflanzenfamilien," where the class Filicales is divided into 12 familes and 140 genera, against the 75 genera adopted in the "Synopsis Filicum." The 31 genera of New Zealand ferns are spread out into 42 in the Pflanzenfamilien.
The development of ferns can only be briefly alluded to here. In germination the spore produces a small flattened or rarely filamentous prothallium, usually containing abundant chlorophyll, but without vascular tissue. It becomes quite free from the spore, but is of comparatively short duration. On the under-surface of the prothallium the reproductive organs are formed. The male organs are called antheridia, and consist of minute subglobose bodies each containing numerous motile cells known as spermatozoids, resembling spirally coiled filaments, pointed at one end and bearing numerous cilia. The female organs, or archegonia, are flask-shaped bodies partly sunk in the tissue of the prothallium, each containing a single free cell called the oosphere. Fertilisation is effected by the entrance of spermatozoids into the cavity of the archegonium, and by the fusion of one of them with the oosphere. The oosphere then gradually develops into a young plant.
Since the publication of the Handbook several pamphlets or books dealing with the ferns of the colony have appeared. The most important of these are Mr. G. M. Thomson's "Ferns and Fern Allies of New Zealand" and Mr. H. C. Field's "Ferns of New Zealand." Both of these contain much interesting and valuable information, and should be consulted by all students of the order.
Suborder I. Hymenophyllacæ. Sori always marginal, enclosed within a cup-shaped or urceolate entire or 2-valved indusium. Sporangia sessile or shortly stalked, arranged on a short or long columnar receptacle, girt by a complete horizontal or oblique ring. Fronds membranous and translucent (except in Loxsoma). :
| Fronds membranous and translucent. Indusium deeply 2-valved | 1. Hymenophyllum. |
| Fronds membranous and translucent. Indusium urceolate or trumpet-shaped, entire or shortly 2-lobed | 2. Trichomanes. |
| Fronds coriaceous, opaque. Indusium urceolate, entire | 2. Loxsoma. |
| Suborder II. Cyatheacæ. Sori dorsal or marginal, naked or furnished with an indusium. Sporangia sessile or shortly stalked, arranged on a cushion-like receptacle, girt by a complete vertical or somewhat oblique ring. Stem often arboreous. ||
| Indusium globose, covering the young sorus, but soon bursting at the summit and persistent as a shallow cup surrounding the sorus at the base | 4. Cyathea. |
| Indusium never covering the sorus, small, half cup-shaped or semicircular, one-sided, not forming a complete ring round the base of the sorus | 5. Hemitelia. ​ |
| Indusium altogether wanting | 6. Alsophila. |
| Indusium 2-valved, the upper valve continuous with the margin of the frond | 7. Dicksonia. |
| Suborder III. Polypodiaceæ. Sori dorsal or marginal, naked or furnished with an indusium. Sporangia with a short or long stalk, girt by an incomplete vertical ring, bursting transversely. Habit various. ||
| * Indusium present, at least when the sorus is young. ||
| † Sori dorsal or marginal. Indusium opening outwards, or towards the margin of the frond. ||
| Sori globose or oblong, submarginal. Indusium often cup-shaped, attached by a broad base and sometimes by the sides as well | 8. Davallia. |
| Sori subglobose, dorsal, remote from the margin. Indusium ovate-deltoid, membranous, attached by a broad base | 9. Cystopteris. |
| Sori linear, marginal. Indusium linear, membranous, opening outwards | 10. Lindsaya. |
| †† Sori variable in shape, linear to globose, marginal. Indusium composed of the more or less modified edge of the frond, which is reflexed over the sorus, opening inwards. ||
| Sori reniform or globose or oblong, distinct in the New Zealand species. Indusium an altered and reflexed lobe or tooth of the frond, bearing the sorus on its under-surface | 11. Adiantum. |
| Sori subglobose, distinct, in the notches of the ultimate divisions of the frond. Indusium a slightly modified and reflexed portion of the margin of the frond | 12. Hypolepis. |
| Sori subglobose or oblong, often confluent into linear masses. Indusium composed of the modified and reflexed margins of the frond | 13. Cheilanthes. |
| Sori confluent, forming a linear band extending along the greater part of the edge of the pinnæ, placed on the tips of the transverse veins | 14. Pellæa. |
| Sori linear, extending along the greater part of the edge of the pinnæ or segments, placed on an intramarginal longitudinal vein | 15. Pteris. |
| Sori linear, on the contracted pinnæ of fertile fronds differing much from the sterile ones, covering the whole under-surface | 16. Lomaria. |
| ††† Sori linear or oblong, dorsal (or submarginal when the frond is much divided). Indusium the same shape as the sorus, laterally attached to a vein, opening inwards (or towards the costa). ||
| Sori oblong, on short cross veinlets connecting the primary veins, parallel to ihe costa | 17. Doodia. |
| Sori oblong or linear, on the primary veins, oblique to the costa | 18. Asplenium. |
| †††† Sori globose, dorsal. Indusium orbicular or reniform, peltate or affixed by the sinus, opening all round the margin. ||
| Indusium orbicular and peltate | 19. Aspidium. ​ |
| Indusium reniform and attached by the sinus. Fronds usually 2–4-pinnate; pinnæ not articulated to the rhachis | 20. Nephrodium. |
| Indusium reniform and attached by the sinus. Fronds pinnate; pinnæ articulated to the rhachis | 21. Nephrolepis. |
| ** Indusium altogether absent. |
| Sori globose or broadly oblong, dorsal, distinct | 22. Polypodium. |
| Sori oblong or rounded, at first distinct but ultimately confluent, marginal, often partly concealed by the reflexed margin of the frond and then barely distinguishable from Cheilanthes | 23. Nothochlæna. |
| Sori oblong or linear, simple or forked, often confluent, dorsal | 24. Gymnogramme. |
| Suborder IV. Gleicheniaceæ. Sori dorsal, naked, of few (2–6) sporangia; receptacle not elevated. Sporangia sessile or nearly so, splitting vertically, surrounded by a complete transverse ring. ||
| Fronds dichotomously forked; ultimate branches pinnately divided | 25. Gleichenia. |
| Suborder V. Schizæaceæ. Sporangia crowded, not collected into distinct sori, sessile or nearly so, with a complete transverse ring just below the apex, splitting vertically. Fertile portions of the frond much modified. ||
| Fronds simple or forked or flabellately divided, without an expanded lamina. Sporangia in 2–4 rows on the under-surface of short linear fertile pinnæ terminating the fronds | 26. Schizæa. |
| Fronds very long, climbing; primary pinnæ dichotomously or pinnately divided. Sporangia in 2 rows on the under-surface of contracted fertile pinnules | 27. Lygodium. |
| Suborder VI. Osmundaceæ. Sori irregular, distinct or confluent, dorsal; indusium wanting. Sporangia sessile or nearly so, splitting vertically; ring rudimentary, placed just below the apex. ||
| Fronds opaque or translucent, 2–3-pinnate | 28. Todea. |
| Suborder VII. Marattiaceæ. Sori distinct, dorsal. Sporangia sessile, without any ring, coriaceous, splitting vertically or opening by a pore at the apex, usually cohering in concrete masses called synangia. ||
| Rhizome large, tuberous. Fronds large, 2–3-pinnate | 29. Marattia. |
| Suborder VIII. Ophioglossaceæ. Sporangia globose, coriaceous, sessile, without any ring, dehiscing by a transverse or vertical slit, crowded on a linear spike or on the branches of a panicle. Fronds not circinate in vernation. ||
| Sterile frond simple and entire. Sporangia on a linear spike | 30. Ophioglossum. |
| Sterile frond pinnate or 2–4-pinnate. Sporangia on the linear branches of a panicle | 31. Botrychium. |
1. HYMENOPHYLLUM, Linn.
Usually small and sometimes minute ferns. Rhizome slender, creeping, often much branched and matted. Fronds simple or more generally compound, delicately membranous, often pellucid, usually of a single layer of cells; segments entire or toothed at the margin, ​with a stout central costa. Sori marginal, terminal or lateral, more or less immersed in the frond or quite free, always terminating a vein or costa. Indusium cup-shaped, more or less deeply 2-lipped or 2-valved, sometimes to the base, of almost the same texture as the frond, margins of the lips entire or toothed or fringed. Receptacle linear or oblong, not exserted beyond the indusium. Sporangia sessile or nearly so, depressed, surrounded by a broad complete horizontal ring, bursting transversely.
One of the most beautiful of the genera of ferns, almost wholly confined to shaded localities, and remarkable for the filmy texture of the frond, a peculiarity which it shares with Trichomanes. Species about 90, widely distributed in tropical climates and in the south temperate zone, especially abundant in New Zealand, rare in the north temperate zone. Of the 20 species found in New Zealand, 7 or perhaps 8 are endemic, the remainder are for the most part widely dispersed.
| A. Euhymenophyllum. Margin of the frond entire. |
| * Fronds glabrous; or, if hairs are present, they are confined to the stipes, rhachis, and costæ. |
| † Rhachis winged throughout; wing often decurrent down the stipes, sometimes to the base. |
| Fronds 1–4 in., pendulous, flaccid, 2-pinnatifid. Stipes capillary; rhachis often wingless below. Sori large, terminal, immersed; indusium orbicular | 1. H. rarum. |
| Fronds 2–9 in., olive-green, 3-pinnatifid, sometimes with scattered hairs on the rhachis and stipes. Sori terminating short lateral segments, free; indusium broadly ovate | 2. H. polyanthos. |
| Fronds 2–6 in., brownish-green, 3–4-pinnatifid; segments narrow, crowded. Stipes, rhachis, and costae usually villous. Sori numerous, terminal, free; indusium broadly ovate | 3. H. villosum. |
| Fronds 3–9 in., triangular. Rhachis with a broad much-crisped wing decurrent almost to the base of the stipes. Sori terminal, free; indusium orbicular | 4. H. australe. |
| Fronds 2–3 in., linear-oblong, dull dark-green. Rhachis with a broad flat wing decurrent almost to the base of the stipes. Sori terminal, free; indusium ovate, margins often jagged | 5. H. atrovirens. |
| Rhizome short, bristly. Fronds 9–20 in., ovate-lanceolate, pale-green. Rhachis with a narrow flat wing decurrent down the stipes. Sori terminal, free; indusium orbicular | 6. H. pulcherrimum. |
| Rhizome long, glabrous. Fronds 9–20 in., ovate-lanceolate; segments broad, flat. Rhachis with a narrow flat wing decurrent along the stipes. Sori terminal, immersed; indusium orbicular | 7. H. dilatatum. |
| †† Rhachis winged only towards the top; lower part and stipes naked (often narrowly winged in H. demissum). |
| Fronds 4–12 in., ovate-deltoid, bright-green; stipes and rhachis glabrous. Sori terminal, free; indusium ovate | 8. H. demissum. ​ |
| Fronds 6–20 in., ovate-lanoeolate, brownish-green; stipes and rhachis bristly. Sori terminal; indusium orbicular | 9. H. scabrum. |
| Fronds 3–9 in., pale glistening-green; lower pinnæ often flabellate. Stipes woolly at the base. Sori terminal, small; indusium broadly ovate or orbicular | 10. H. flabellatum. |
| Fronds ½–1½ in., deltoid, very delicate. Stipes, rhachis, and costæ with silky flexuous hairs. Sori terminal, small, partly immersed; indusium ovate-orbicular | 11. H. rufescens. |
| ** Fronds with the margins and both surfaces densely clothed with stellate hairs. |
| Fronds 2–6 in., oblong; rhachis broadly winged throughout, the wing decurrent along the upper part of the stipes. Sori terminal, immersed | 12. H. ciliatum. |
| Fronds 2–10 in., oblong-lanceolate; rhachis winged only towards the top; stipes naked. Sori terminal, immersed | 13. H. subtilissimum. |
| Fronds 2–8 in., linear-oblong, rigid and coriaceous, everywhere hidden by dense tomentum; rhachis not winged. Sori terminal, free | 14. H. Malingii. |
| B. Leptocionium. Margins of the frond spinulose-dentate. |
| Fronds minute, ¼–1 in., simple or forked or digitately divided. Indusium with entire valves | 15. H. Cheesemanii. |
| Fronds minute, ¼–1 in., pinnatifid. Sori solitary, free, terminating the main rhachis; indusium with the valves spinulose on the back and margins | 18. H. minimum. |
| Fronds 1–4 in., pinnate; pinnæ divided. Sori lateral, near the base of the pinnee, free; indusium with the valves smooth on the back, spinulose-dentate on the margins | 17. H. Tunbridgense. |
| Fronds 1–4 in., pinnate; pinnse divided. Sori lateral, near the base of the pinnæ, free; indusium with the valves smooth on the back; margins entire | 18. H. unilaterale. |
| Fronds 4–8 in., 3–4-pinnatifid. Sori lateral, near the base of the pinnas, free; indusium large, often decurved, obovoid; valves with entire margins | 19. H. multifidum. |
| Fronds 6–12 in., 3–4-pinnatifid. Sori terminal, immersed in the tips of the segments; indusium ovate-orbicular, valves with entire margins | 20. H. bivalve. |
1. H. rarum, R. Br. Prodr. 159.—A very delicate pale glistening-green pellucid species, forming matted patches on the trunks of trees or on rocks. Rhizomes creeping, much branched, very slender, wiry, black. Fronds very variable in size and shape, usually from 1 to 4 in. long, but sometimes dwarfed to ½ in., and occasionally lengthened out to 6 or 8 in., broadly oblong to linear-oblong, 2-pinnatifid, in large specimens pinnate at the base, pendulous, membranous, flaccid, quite glabrous. Stipes extremely slender, capillary, often half the length of the whole frond; main rhachis usually winged throughout. Pinnæ close, often overlapping, once or twice forked or pinnatifid, rarely simple. Segments erecto-patent, ¼–½ in. long, 1/10 in. broad, flat, obtuse, quite entire. Sori mostly near the summit of the frond, sunk in the tips of the segments. Indusium large, almost as broad as the segments, ​broadly rhomboid, divided half-way down, cuneate at the base; valves broad, rounded.—Hook. Sp. Fil. i. 101; Hook. f. Fl. Antarct. i. 105; Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 12; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 353; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 58; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 705; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 38. H. semibivalve, Hook and Grev. Ic. Fil. t. 83; A. Rich. Fl. Nouv. Zel. 94; A. Cunn. Precur. n.241; Raoul, Choix, 39. H. imbricatum, Col. in Tasm. Journ. Nat. Sci. (1845) 27.
North and South Islands, Stewart Island, Chatham Islands, Auckland Islands: From Mongonui and Kaitaia southwards, not uncommon. Sea-level to 3000 ft.
A widely distributed plant, found in Australia and Tasmania, Polynesia, Japan, South Africa and Mauritius, and extratropical South America. It is easily recognised by the extremely slender capillary stipes, pendulous pale glaucous-green fronds, broad flat entire segments, and large orbicular sori. When growing in exposed places it is often much dwarfed, with closely imbricating pinnæ, constituting Colenso's H. imbricatum.
2. H. polyanthos, Swartz, Syn. Fil. 149; var. sanguinolentum Hook. Sp. Fil. i. 107.—Forming matted patches on the trunks or branches of trees or on rotten logs. Rhizome rather stout, creeping, much branched, usually bristly with reddish-brown hairs. Fronds erect or decurved, somewhat opaque, dull olive-green, reddish-brown when dry, 2–9 in. high, broadly ovate or oblong, 3-pinnatifid, glabrous or the stipes and rhachis with scattered red-brown hairs when young. Stipes rather stout, narrowly winged above; rhachis broadly winged throughout, stout, flexuose. Primary pinnæ close or rather distant, spreading, rarely decurved; secondary short, deeply pinnatifid. Segments narrow-linear, obtuse, flat or the margins undulate. Sori mainly in the upper part of the frond, usually terminating short somewhat contracted lateral segments, quite free or very slightly sunk at the base. Indusium broader than the segment, broadly ovate or suborbicular, 2-valved to the base; valves obtuse, entire or slightly sinuate, often crested on the back.—Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 14; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 354; Hook, and Bak. Syn. Fil. 60; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 38; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 58, t. 28, f. 7. H. sanguinolentum, Swartz, Syn. Fil. 148, 376; A. Rich. Fl. Nouv. Zel. 93; A. Cunn. Precur. n. 234; Raoul, Choix, 38. H. lophocarpum, Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvii. (1885) 255. Trichomanes sanguinolentum, Forst. Prodr. n. 465.
North and South Islands, Stewart Island, Auckland Islands: Abundant in forests throughout. Sea-level to 3000 ft.
One of the most abundant species of the genus in New Zealand. It stains paper brown when drying, and gives off a peculiar odour, which it often retains for years. The species, in some of its forms, is found in almost all tropical countries, but apparently not in Australia.
3. H. villosum, Col. in Tasm. Journ. Nat. Sc. (1845) 25.—Forming dense matted patches on the trunks of trees or amongst moss. Rhizome much branched, wiry, creeping. Fronds erect or ​decurved, opaque, dull brownish-green, 2–6 in. long, 1–2½ in. broad, broadly ovate to ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, 3–4-pinnatifid. Stipes 1–3 in. long, usually narrowly winged above, villous with scattered spreading hairs; rhachis narrowly winged throughout, rather slender, flexuous, more or less villous, as are the partial rhachides and costæ. Primary pinnæ closely placed, often over-lapping, lanceolate-deltoid; secondary rhombic-ovate, again once or twice pinnatifid. Ultimate segments crowded, very narrow, linear, obtuse, flat. Sori numerous, terminating the segments, free. Indusium broadly ovate, obtuse or subacute, broader than the segments, 2-valved to the base; valves smooth, entire.—Kirk in Trans. N.Z. Inst. x. (1878) 395; Bak. in Annals Bot. v. (1890-91) 192; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 39.
North Island: Auckland—Summit of Moehau (Cape Colville), Adams! Te Aroha Mountain, T.F.C.; Tarawera Mountain, Kirk; Ruatahuna, Colenso! Hawke's Bay—Tukituki River, A. Hamilton! Ruahine Mountains, H. Hill! Wellington—Tararua Range, H. H. Travers! South Island: Not uncommon in subalpine forests throughout. Stewart Island: Mount Anglem, Kirk. Auckland Islands: Kirk. Usually from 2000–4500 ft., but descends almost to sea-level in Westland.
This was placed with H. polyanthos by Hooker, and is doubtless closely allied to it. But it differs markedly in the much more finely cut 4-pinnatifid fronds, in the villous stipes, rhachis, &c., in the much narrower segments, and in the smaller sori.
4. H. australe, Willd. Sp. Plant. v. 527.—Forming matted patches on rocks or among moss, more rarely on the trunks of trees, pale-green when young, becoming lurid-green in age. Rhizome creeping, branched, wiry. Fronds erect or decurved, very membranous, 3–9 in. long, 1½–4 in. broad, triangular with usually a broad base, acuminate, quite glabrous, 2–3-pinnatifid. Rhachis with a broad much-crisped wing which extends almost to the base of the stipes. Primary pinnæ ¾–2 in. long, rhomboidal-lanceolate, spreading, often decurved at the tips, deeply pinnatifid; secondary again pinnatifid or irregularly forked. Ultimate segments narrow-linear, obtuse, quite entire, more or less crisped, rarely flat. Sori usually numerous, terminal on the segments, free. Indusium orbicular or broadly ovate, usually broader than the segments, 2-valved to the base; valves broad, rounded, entire or slightly erose.—Bak. Annals Bot. v. (1890–91) 193. H. javanicum, Spreng. Syst. iv. 132; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 60; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 39; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 61, t. 15, f. 4. H. crispatum, Wall. Cat. 169; Hook. Sp. Fil. i. 105; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 13; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 354. H. flexuosum, A. Cunn. Precur. n. 238; Raoul, Choix, 39.
North and South Islands, Stewart Island: Not uncommon in damp woods. Sea-level to 2000 ft.
A common plant in Tasmania, and from thence extending northwards to Malaya, India, and Ceylon. It is easily distinguished from the other New Zealand species by the broad conspicuously crisped wing of the rhachis and stipes.
​5. H. atrovirens, Col. in Tasm. Journ. Nat. Sc. (1845) 26.—Usually terrestrial. Rhizome slender, wiry, creeping. Fronds few, somewhat rigidly erect, membranous, dull dark-green, 2–6 in. high, ½–1 in. broad, linear-oblong or lanceolate, quite glabrous, 2-pinnatifid. Stipes about half the length of the frond, winged almost to the base; rhachis fiexuose, winged throughout, wings flat, not crisped. Pinnæ 5–10 on each side, alternate, the lowest usually the largest, ⅓–⅔ in. long, erecto-patent, irregularly pinnatifid. Segments simple or forked, linear, obtuse, flat, quite entire. Sori few, terminating the segments, quite free. Indusium small, ovate, 2-valved almost to the base, slightly broader than the segments; valves obtuse or subacute, entire or jagged.—H. javanicum var. atrovirens, Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 60. H. montanum, Kirk in Trans. N.Z. Inst. x. (1878) 394; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 40; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 61, t. 28, f. 1.
North Island: Auckland—Bay of Islands, Miss Clarke! Whangarei, T.F.C.; ravines at Mamaku, near Rotorua, J. Stewart! Lake Waikaremoana, Colenso! South Island: Nelson—Blind Bay, Kingsley. Otago—Mountains at the head of Lake Wakatipu, Mrs. Mason! Sea-level to 2500 ft.
I have ventured to restore Mr. Colenso's H. atrovirens to the rank of a species, for although undoubtedly very close to A. australe it appears to differ sufficiently in the much smaller and narrower more sparingly divided frond, in the flat (not crisped) wings to the rhachis and stipes, and in the narrower segments and smaller ovate indusia. Mr. Kirk's H. montanum is clearly the same plant, with the indusia conspicuously jagged. Whether the Australian plant included under atrovirens by Baker is also identical I am unable to say, not having seen specimens.
6. H. pulcherrimum, Col. in Tasmanian Journ. Nat. Sci. (1845) 25.—Forming dense tufts on the branches and trunks of trees. Rhizome short, stout, densely clothed with shining red-brown bristly scales; rootlets woolly. Fronds very handsome, pale-green, erect or pendulous, 9–30 in. long including the stipes, 2–6 in. broad, ovate-lanceolate or linear-oblong, acuminate, membranous, flaccid, quite glabrous, 3–4-pinnatifid. Stipes 2–6 in. long, winged to the base; rhachis also with a narrow wing throughout its length, wings not crisped. Primary pinnæ 1½–3 in. long, rhomboidal-lanceolate, 2-pinnatifid down to a narrowly winged flexuous rhachis. Ultimate segments simple or forked, linear, flat, obtuse or retuse, quite entire. Sori terminating short lateral segments, sometimes apparently axillary, quite free. Indusium orbicular, 2-valved to the base; valves convex, quite entire.—Hook. Sp. Fit. i. 103, t. 37a; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 13, t. 74; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 354; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 62; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 41; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 60, t. 20, f. 6.
North Island: Mountainous forests of the interior, from Te Aroha and Lake Waikaremoana southwards. South Island: Rare and local in Nelson, Marlborough, and Canterbury; abundant in Westland and Otago. Stewart Island: Paterson's Inlet, Kirk! Sea-level to 3000 ft.
A very distinct species, confined to New Zealand.
​7. H. dilatatum, Swartz, Syn. Fil. 149, 373.—Large, very handsome, bright-green, clothing the trunks of trees or rotten logs. Rhizome long, stout, wiry, glabrous. Fronds variable in size, usually 9–18 in. long including the stipes, but luxuriant specimens often reach 2 ft. or more, the smaller specimens erect or decurved, the larger usually pendulous, 3–6 in. broad, ovate or ovate-lanceolate to linear-oblong, membranous, 3-pinnatifid. Stipes 2–6 in. long, terete, wiry, narrowly winged almost to the base; rhachis winged throughout, the wing flat, not crisped. Primary pinnæ 1½–3 in. long, ovate-lanceolate, cuneate at the base; secondary broad, almost subpalmate below, irregularly pinnatifid. Ultimate segments linear, often elongated and decurved, about 1/10 in. broad, obtuse, flat, quite entire. Sori numerous, terminating the segments, sunk in the frond at the base. Indusium orbicular, cuneate at the base, 2-valved more than half-way down; valves convex, rounded at the tip, entire; clusters of sporangia often exserted.—Hook. and Grev. Ic. Fil. t. 60; A. Cunn. Precur. n. 233; Raoul, Choix, 38; Hook. Sp. Fil. i. 104; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 13; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 354; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 62; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 40; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 59, t. 16, f. 1. Trichomanes dilatatum, Forst. Prodr. n. 467.
North and South Islands, Stewart Island, Chatham Islands: Abundant in damp woods throughout. Auckland Islands: Sir J. D. Hooker (Handbook). Sea-level to 3000 ft.
Also in several of the Polynesian islands and in Java. One of the most handsome species of the genus.
8. H. demissum, Swartz, Syn. Fil. 147, 374.—Terrestrial or epiphytic, forming large patches. Rhizome long, wiry, creeping. Fronds erect or decurved, membranous, bright pale-green, 4–16 in. long including the stipes, 2–5 in. broad, ovate-deltoid or ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, 3–4-pinnatifid. Stipes 2–6 in. long, terete, smooth and glabrous, wiry, not winged above or very obscurely so; rhachis obviously winged in the upper part, but the wing much narrowed and sometimes obsolete below. Primary pinnæ spreading or ascending, rhombic-lanceolate or rhombic-triangular; secondary short, broad, again 1–2-pinnatifid. Ultimate segments 1/10–1/5 in. long, 1/20 in. broad, linear, obtuse, flat, quite entire. Sori small, very numerous at the tips of the segments, not confined to the lateral ones, not sunk in the frond. Indusium ovate, obtuse or subacute, 2-valved to the base; valves entire or lobed.—A. Rich. Fl. Nouv. Zel. 92; A. Cunn. Precur. n. 245; Raoul, Choix, 39; Hook. Sp. Fil. i. 109; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 14; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 354; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 61; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 41; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 58, t. 18, f. 1. H. erecto-alatum, Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xi. (1879) 431. H. megalocarpum, Col. l.c. xv. (1883) 318. H. polychilum, Col. l.c. xxiv. (1892) 395. Trichomanes demissum, Forst. Prodr. n. 468.
Kermadec Islands, North and South Islands, Chatham Islands, Stewart Island, Auckland Islands: Abundant in woods throughout. Sea-level to 3000 ft.
Also found in Polynesia, Java, and the Philippine Islands. The veinlets often fork towards the tips of the segments, and in profusely fruited specimens there is usually a sorus at the tip of each veinlet. When the fork of the veinlet is very close to the tip of the segment the two sori are often included in a single indusium, the valves of which, however, are more or less cleft at the apex. All gradations can be traced between two indusia placed side by side, and a single indusium containing 2 receptacles. Mr. Colenso's H. megalocarpum and H. polychilum, named specimens of which appear to me to be identical, are founded mainly on this peculiarity, and show no other differences. His H. erecto-alatum was separated on account of the broader crisped wing of the rhachis, but the type specimens prove this character to be a very obscure and uncertain one.
9. H. scabrum, A. Rich. Fl. Nouv. Zel. 90, t. 14, f. 1.—Usually clothing the trunks of trees, rarely terrestrial. Rhizome long, creeping, wiry, more or less bristly with reddish-brown scales. Fronds very variable in size, usually from 6 in. to 20 in. long, but luxuriant specimens sometimes attain 30 in., 2–5 in. broad, ovate-deltoid or ovate-lanceolate or linear-oblong, acuminate, membranous, dark olive-green or olive-brown, erect or pendulous, 3–4-pinnatifid. Stipes 2–6 in. long, not winged, more or less densely clothed (as are the primary and secondary rhachides and costæ) with reddish-brown jointed hairs; rhachis winged above, wingless below. Primary pinnæ 1–3 in. long, close or rather distant, spreading or erecto-patent, rhomboidal-lanceolate or -oblong, acuminate; secondary deeply pinnatifid or 2-pinnatifid. Ultimate segments linear, obtuse, flat, quite entire. Sori numerous, terminal on the lateral segments on both sides of the pinæ. Indusium rather small, orbicular or ovate-orbicular, 2-valved to the base; valves usually toothed.—A. Cunn. Precur. n. 235; Raoul, Choix, 39; Hook. Sp. Fil. i. 110; Hook. f. Ft. Nov. Zel. ii. 15; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 355; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 61; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 42; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 62, t. 17, f. 4. Sphærocionium glanduliferum, Presl. Epimel. 23, t. 12.
North and South Islands, Chatham Islands: Moist forests from Hokianga southwards, not uncommon. Sea-level to 3000 ft.
A distinct and beautiful species, easily recognised by the reddish hairs on the stipes, rhachis, and costæ, and by the dark colour of the frond. It is confined to New Zealand.
10. H. flabellatum, Lab. Pl. Nov. Holl. ii. 101, t. 250.—Densely matted, usually clothing the trunks of trees. Rhizomes long, wiry, creeping, often much branched and interlaced, more or less clothed with yellow-brown woolly hairs. Fronds very variable in size and shape, usually 3–9 in. long, but sometimes reduced to less than 1 in., at other times attaining a length of 12 in., the smaller specimens generally ovate and erect, the longer ovate-lanceolate to lanceolate or linear-oblong and pendulous, pale shining-green or ​yellow-green, membranous, glabrous or sparingly silky along the rhachis and sometimes on the margins, 2–3-pinnatifid. Stipes slender, terete, wingless, glabrous except a tuft of silky hairs at the base; main rhachis winged towards the top, wingless elsewhere. Primary pinnæ often close and overlapping, short, rhomboidal-ovate or flabellate, acuminate; secondary cuneate at the base, deeply pinnatifid. Ultimate segments linear, flat, entire. Sori small, terminal on the segments, usually on the lateral ones, slightly immersed at the base. Indusium orbicular or nearly so, 2-valved to below the middle; valves usually entire.—Hook. Sp. Fil. i. 111; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 15; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 356; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 61; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 705; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 42; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 57, t. 19, f. 6. H. nitens, R. Br. Prodr. 159; A. Rich. Fl. Nouv. Zel. 91; A. Cunn. Precur. n. 236; Raoul, Choix, 39.
North and South Islands, Stewart Island, Chatham Islands, Auckland Islands: Not uncommon in woods throughout. Sea-level to 2500 ft.
Also in Tasmania and south-eastern Australia, and reported from Sumatra and the Philippine Islands. Some varieties approach very closely to narrow-fronded forms of H. demissum, but in its ordinary state it cannot be easily confounded with any other.
11. H. rufescens, T. Kirk in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xi. (1879) 457, t. 19a.—Very delicate, forming mats on the trunks of trees or on the perpendicular faces of shaded rocks. Rhizome very slender, almost filiform, branched, creeping, sparingly clothed with soft spreading hairs. Stipes much longer than the frond proper, 1–2 in., capillary, wingless, clothed when young with long flexuous hairs. Fronds ½–1½ in. long, ½–¾ in. broad at the base, deltoid, delicately membranous and pellucid, 2-pinnatifid; rhachis winged almost to the base, and with the veins and occasionally the surfaces of the frond more or less covered with long flexuous silky hairs. Pinnæ 3–4 pairs, close, overlapping, cuneate-rhomboid or the lowest almost flabellate, deeply pinnatifid or lobed. Segments linear, obtuse, flat, quite entire. Sori terminating the segments, slightly immersed at the base. Indusium ovate-orbicular, 2-valved to the base; valves entire or slightly toothed, often ciliate.—Bak. in Annals of Bot. v. (1890–91) 192; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 43; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 63, 1. 15, f. 6.
North Island: Summit of Te Aroha Mountain, Adams! T.F.C.; Oroua River (Ruahine Range), H. G. Field! Mount Egmont Ranges, T.F.C. South Island: Nelson—Mount Arthur Plateau, T.F.C.; Takaka Valley, Kingsley; Mount Rochfort, Rev. F. J. Spencer! Westland—Okarito, A. Hamilton! Stewart Island: Rakiahua, A. Hamilton, P. Goyen. 1000–3500 ft.
Nearest to H. flabellatum, some mountain forms of which approach it very closely, but separated by the much longer capillary stipes, shorter, broader, and more delicate fronds, and by the copious hairs. H. subtilissimum differs in the larger size, the shape of the frond, and in the stellate tomentum.
​12. H. ciliatum, Swartz, Syn. Fil. 147.—Usually epiphytical. Rhizome slender, creeping, 1–2 in. long. Fronds 2–6 in. long, 1–2 in. broad, ovate-oblong, acuminate, thin and membranous, 2–3-pinnatifid, more or less clothed with stalked branched or stellate hairs, which are most abundant on the margins. Stipes 1–2 in. long, winged above and ciliated; rhachis broadly winged throughout and also conspicuously ciliated with stellate hairs. Primary pinnæ oblong or rhomboidal, cut down to a broad central portion into numerous secondary divisions, which are simple or forked or irregularly pinnatifid. Ultimate segments linear, flat, obtuse, quite entire. Sori numerous, terminating the segments, more or less immersed. Indusium suborbicular, 2-valved half-way down; valves ciliated.—Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 747; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 63; Thomson, N.Z. Ferns, 43; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 64. H. Boryanum, Willd. Sp. Plant. v. 518; Hook. Sp. Fil. i. 89, t. 31c.
South Island: Nelson—Travers (Handbook).
An abundant plant throughout the whole of tropical America, from Cuba and Mexico to Chili; also in tropical Africa, Madagascar, and Mauritius. I have seen no New Zealand specimens, the plant not having been refound since its original discovery by Mr. Travers nearly forty years ago.
13. H. subtilissimum, Kunze, Anal. Pteridog. 50.—Forming dense mats on the stems of fern-trees and on tree-trunks, or on the perpendicular faces of shaded rocks. Rhizome long, slender, filiform, tomentose with reddish-brown hairs. Fronds 2–10 in. long, ¾–2 in. broad, ovate-lanceolate or lanceolate, acute or acuminate, very thin and membranous, yellow-brown or tawny, usually pendulous, 2–3-pinnatifid, everywhere clothed with copious silky stellate hairs. Stipes filiform, not winged; rhachis narrowly winged above, wingless below. Primary pinnæ short, erecto-patent, ovate-lanceolate, cuneate at the base; secondary irregularly pinnatifid or forked. Ultimate segments close, linear, obtuse, flat, quite entire. Sori numerous, small, terminal, sunk in the tips of the lateral segments. Indusium orbicular or broader than long, 2-valved almost to the base; valves rounded, copiously ciliated with stellate hairs.—Hook. and Baker Syn. Fil. 64; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 63, t. 15, f. 2. H. æruginosum, Hook. Sp. Fil. i. 94; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 15; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 355. H. Franklinianum, Col. in Tasmanian Journ. Nat. Sci. (1845) 23.
North and South Islands, Stewart Island: Damp forests from the Bay of Islands soouthwards, not uncommon, except on the east coast of the South Island, where it is rare and local. Sea-level to 2500 ft.
Also on the Island of Juan Fernandez and in Chili, and closely allied to the Tristan d'Acunha H. æruginosum, Carm., with which it was united by Sir J. D. Hooker.
​14. H. Malingii, Metten. ex Hook, and Bak. Syn. Fil. 66.—Forming small patches on the trunks and branches of trees. Rhizome slender, creeping, sparsely clothed with reddish-brown hairs. Fronds 2–8 in. long, ½–1½ in. broad, narrow-oblong to linear, erect or pendulous, opaque, rigid, reddish-brown or greyish-brown, everywhere most densely covered with stellate hairs mixed with very minute close-set clavate papillae, 2–3-pinnatifid. Stipes 1–3 in. long, very slender, almost filiform, not winged, densely tomentose. Pinnæ close or distant, ⅓–⅔ in. long, rarely more, the lower ones ovate-rhomboidal. the upper oblong, deeply pinnatifid; secondary divisions cuneate or flabellate, deeply pinnatifidly cut. Ultimate segments very narrow-linear, obtuse, almost terete and coriaceous from the dense coating of tomentum, which entirely conceals the frond proper. Sori small, terminating the segments. Indusium hidden by the tomentum, orbicular, 2-valved rather more than half-way down; valves denticulate at the apex.—Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 44; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 67, t. 7, f. 2. Trichomanes Malingii, Hook. Garden Ferns, t. 64; Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 357.
North Island: Summit of Te Aroha Mountain, Adams! T.F.C.; Mount Egmont, Mrs. Jones, T.F.C.; Ruahine Mountains and base of Ruapehu, H. C. Field. South Island: Nelson—Mountains behind Massacre Bay, Maling; Takaka, Kingsley. Westland—Mountains near Greymouth, Enys! near Kumara, J. M. Brame! Franz Josef Glacier, Haast. Canterbury—Banks Peninsula, T.H. Potts! Otago—Mount Cargill, Pine Hill, Buchanan! Thomson! 500–3500 ft.
A most curious and remarkable little plant, confined to New Zealand. The peculiar indumentum of the frond is well worth careful examination.
15. H. Cheesemanii, Bak. ex Hook, and Bak. Syn. Fil. (edit. 2) 464.—Minute, forming cushions on the branches of trees, or creeping amongst mosses and hepaticæ. Rhizome branched, wide-creeping, smooth and wiry. Fronds very small, ¼–1 in. long, simple or forked or digitately 3–5-fid, quite glabrous, dark-green, texture firm. Stipes very short, filiform, ⅛–¼ in. long. Segments about 1/10 in. broad, linear-oblong or ligulate, obtuse, with a single stout dark-coloured costa in each; margins not usually conspicuously thickened, strongly ciliate-dentate; teeth ascending, dark-brown or black, sometimes caducous. Sori 1–3 to a frond, terminating the segments. Indusium slightly sunk in the frond at the base, orbicular-oblong, dark brownish-black, of a more compact texture than the frond, 2-valved nearly to the base; valves smooth, convex, quite entire, recurved in age.—Ic. Plant. 1. 1132; Cheesem. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. viii. (1876) 329; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 36; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 65, t. 5, f. 3.
Var. Armstrongii.—Precisely similar in size and habit, but texture firmer and margins strongly thickened.—H. Armstrongii, Kirk in Trans. N.Z. Inst. x. (1878) App. 43, t. 21a; Bak. Ic. Plant, t. 1614. H. melanocheilos, Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvii. (1885) 255. Trichomanes Armstrongii, Bak. ex Hook, and Bak. Syn. Fil. (edit. 2) 465
​North Island: Auckland—Whangaroa, R. W. Rowson! Great Barrier Island, Kirk! Whangarei, Coromandel, Thames, Titirangi, Hunua, T.F.C.; Te Aroha Mountain, Adams! South Island: Nelson—Mokihinui, Kirk! Canterbury—Upper Waimakariri, Arthur's Pass, Armstrong! Enys! Kirk! T.F.C. Westland—Hokitika, Kirk; Kumara, J. M. Brame; Okarito, A. Hamilton! Stewart Island: Ruggedy Mountains, Kirk. Sea-level to 3500 ft.
A peculiar little species, usually found among moss on the upper branches of forest-trees, or on the perpendicular faces of rocks. I am unable to maintain H. Armstrongii as a separate species, for the stout marginal nerve, which is supposed to separate it from H. Cheesemanii, is an inconstant character, and fronds may be picked from the same rhizome with or without it. Usually, however, epiphytic specimens want the nerve, and rupestral ones possess it.
16. H. minimum, A. Rich. Fl. Nouv. Zel. 91, t. 14, f. 2.—Minute, forming matted patches on rocks or on the trunks of trees. Rhizome much branched, filiform, wide-creeping, glabrous or sparingly bristly. Stipes wiry, filiform, naked, ⅙–½ in. long. Fronds very small, ¼–¾ in. long, broadly oblong-deltoid or ovate, erect or recurved, firm, pale-green when fresh, often reddish-brown when dry, pinnatifid or pinnate at the base. Segments 2–6 pairs, close, spreading, simple or the lower ones forked, linear, obtuse, more or less concave, rigid, quite glabrous; margins spinulose-dentate. Sori never more than one to a frond, terminating the main rhachis, stipitate, quite free. Indusium rather large, obovate-cuneate, narrowed at the base, 2-valved to the middle; valves spinulose on the back; margins rounded, sharply spinulose-dentate. Receptacle stout, often exserted in age.—A. Cunn. Precur. n. 242; Raoul, Choix, 39; Hook. f. Fl. Antarct. i. 103; Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 12; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 353; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. (edit. 2) 464; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 36.
South Island: Nelson—Tasman Bay, D'Urville. Westland—Coast near Okarito, A. Hamilton! Otago—Resolution Island, Enys! East Coast, Buchanan! A. Hamilton! Stewart Island: Not uncommon. Kirk! Auckland Islands: Scarce, Sir J. D. Hooker.
A much misunderstood species; most collectors confusing it with small forms of H. Tunbridgense, from which, however, it is readily distinguished by the uniformly solitary and terminal sori, the indusium of which is spinulose on the back as well as on the margins. It appears to be a littoral plant, never found far from the sea.
17. H. Tunbridgense, Smith, Fl. Brit. 1141.—Forming broad densely matted moss-like patches on rocks or on the trunks of trees. Rhizome much branched, long, wiry, creeping. Fronds variable in size, ½–3 in. long, ½–1 in. broad, oblong or linear-oblong, pale-green, membranous, pinnate below, pinnatifid above. Stipes ½–1½ in. long, slender, wiry, naked; rhachis winged above, wingless below, or sometimes the wing is decurrent almost to the lowest pinna. Pinnæ spreading, close or rather remote, usually flabellately pinnatifid. Segments 3–12 to a pinna, linear, obtuse, flat, conspicuously spinulose-dentate. Sori terminal on a short lateral seg​ment near the base of the pinnæ on their upper margin and hence supra-axillary, rarely more than one to a pinna. Indusium sub-orbicular, compressed, its base slightly immersed in the segment, deeply 2-valved; valves thin, smooth on the back; margins conspicuously spinulose-dentate.—A. Rich. Fl. Nouv. Zel. 91; A. Cunn. Precur. n. 243; Raoul, Choix, 39; Hook. Syn. Fil. i. 95; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 11; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 352; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 67; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 35; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 65, t. 14, f. 7. H. pusillum, Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xii. (1880) 365; (?)H. pygmæum, Col. l.c. xiii. (1881) 376. H. zeelandicum, Van der Bosch.
Var. cupressiforme, Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 11.—Fronds taller and narrower, more erect, 1–4 in. high. Pinnæ distant; segments more rigid, narrower, often decurved. Sori free, almost, stipitate.—H. cupressiforme, Labill. Pt. Nov. Holl. ii. 102, t. 250. H. revolutum. Col. in Tasmanian Journ. Nat. Sci. (1845) 26.
North and South Islands, Stewart Island, Auckland Islands: Abundant throughout. Sea-level to 3000 ft.
An abundant plant in most temperate and subtropical countries, and everywhere highly variable. Var. cupressiforme has much of the habit of the next species, but the valves of the indusium are spinulose-dentate.
18. H. unilaterale, Willd. Sp. Plant. v. 521.—Forming large patches on the ground among moss or on the roots of trees. Rhizome long, creeping, branched. Fronds 1–4 in. long, linear-oblong, dark-green, rigidly membranous, pinnate below, pinnatifid above. Stipes ½–1½ in. long, slender, wiry, naked; rhachis winged in the upper portion only. Pinnæ narrower and more rigid than in H. Tunbridgense, often pinnatifid on the upper side alone. Segments fewer and narrower, frequently decurved, usually involute, margins conspicuously spinulose-dentate. Sori terminal on short lateral segments near the base of the pinnæ on their upper margin, exactly as in H. Tunbridgense. Indusium obovate-oblong or broadly oblong, turgid, slightly immersed at the base, deeply 2-valved; valves smooth; margins quite entire.—Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 11; Fl. Tasm. ii. 134; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 353. H. Wilsoni, Hook. Brit. Fl. (edit. 1) 450; Sp. Fil. i. 95. H. Tunbridgense var. Wilsoni, Hook, and Bak. Syn. Fil. 67.
North and South Islands, Stewart Island: From Te Aroha Mountain southwards, not common, chiefly in mountain forests. Sea-level to 3500 ft.
Very closely allied to H. Tunbridgense, and sometimes hardly to be distinguished from it in the absence of fruit, but usually the frond is taller and narrower and more rigid, the pinnæ; are sparingly divided and decurved, the segments often unilateral, and the indusia narrower and more turgid, with the margins of the valves quite entire. Its geographical range is nearly the same as that of H. Tunbridgense, but it is a much less abundant plant.
19. H. multifidum, Swartz, Syn. Fil. 149, 378.—Forming matted patches upon the ground or on the trunks or branches of trees. Rhizome much branched, creeping, wiry. Fronds variable ​in size, usually 4–8 in. high including the stipes, but sometimes dwarfed to 1 in., and occasionally attaining 12 in., ovate-lanceolate to oblong-ovate or deltoid, acute or acuminate, erect or decurved or even pendulous, dark olive-green to light-green, membranous, 3–4-pinnatifid. Stipes 1–5 in. long, terete, wiry, naked; rhachis narrowly winged above. Primary pinnæ close and often over-lapping in terrestrial specimens, more remote in those growing on trees, rhomboidal-lanceolate, cut down to a rather broadly winged rhachis into numerous secondary divisions, which are again pinnatifid or 2-pinnatifid. Ultimate segments linear, rigid, obtuse, deeply spinulose-dentate. Sori few, large, mostly in the upper part of the frond, terminating very short lateral segments, often appearing quite axillary, free. Indusium erect or decurved, obovoid, tubular below, 2-valved to the middle; valves entire or denticulate.—A. Cunn. Precur. n. 240; Raoul, Choix, 39; Hook. and Grev. Ic. Fil. t. 167; Hook. Sp. Fil. i. 98; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 12; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 353; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 69; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 37; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 66, t. 19, f. 8. H. truncatum, Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xxiii. (1891) 390. H. alpinum. Col. l.c. xxxi. (1899) 263. H. oligocarpum, Col. l.c. xxxi. (1899) 264. Trichomanes multifidum, Forst. Prodr. n. 473.
North and South Islands, Stewart Island, Chatham Islands, Auckland and Campbell Islands, Antipodes Island: Abundant throughout. Sea-level to 4000 ft.
Varying greatly in size and habit, but always easily recognised by the very peculiar indusium. It is also found in Fiji and others of the Pacific islands.
20. H. bivalve, Swartz, Syn. Fil. 146, 372.—Forming large matted patches on the ground among moss, more rarely epiphytical. Rhizome stout, wiry, creeping; rootlets densely villous. Fronds (including the stipes) usually from 6–9 in. high, 2–4 in. broad, but luxuriant specimens reach 12–14 in., with a breadth of 6 in., broadly ovate or deltoid, acuminate, rather rigid, often decurved, 3–4-pinnatifid. Stipes 2–5 in. long, terete, wiry, glabrous, not winged; rhachis narrowly winged above. Primary pinnæ triangular or ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, cut down almost to the rhachis into rhomboidal-lanceolate secondary divisions, which are again pinnatifid or 2-pinnatifid. Ultimate segments narrow-linear, obtuse, deeply spinulose-dentate. Sori usually numerous, terminal on the segments, immersed at the base. Indusium ovate or ovate-orbicular, cuneate below, 2-valved nearly to the base; valves quite entire.— A. Rich. Fl. Nouv. Zel. 93; A. Cunn. Precur. n. 244; Raoul, Choix, 39; Hook. Syn. Fil. i. 98, t. 35d; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 12; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 353; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 69; Thomson, N.Z. Ferns, 37; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 67, t. 17, f. 3. H. spathulatum, Col. in Tasmanian Journ. Nat. Sci. (1845) 24. Trichomanes bivalve, Forst. Prodr. n. 466.
North Island: Hilly forests from the Great Barrier Island (C. P. Winkelmann!) and Cape Colville southwards, not common to the north of the East Cape. South Island, Stewart Island, Chatham Islands: Not uncommon throughout. Sea-level to 3000 ft.
Confined to New Zealand. Allied to H. multifidum, but a larger and less rigid plant, of a paler-green colour, and with smaller indusia immersed in the tips of the segments, not axillary.
2. TRICHOMANES, Smith.
Ferns, usually of small size. Rhizome slender or rather stout, often much branched, glabrous or tomentose. Fronds compound or rarely simple and entire, of the same delicately membranous texture as Hymenophyllum, often pellucid, usually of a single layer of cells, rarely of 3–6 layers. Ultimate segments linear or narrow-oblong, entire or rarely toothed at the margin, with a stout central costa. Sori marginal, terminal or lateral, more or less immersed in the frond or quite free, always terminating a vein. Indusium tubular or trumpet-shaped, truncate at the mouth or with a narrow spreading lip or border, usually of the same texture as the frond. Receptacle elongated, filiform or columnar, usually exserted beyond the indusium. Sporangia sessile, depressed, surrounded by a broad complete horizontal ring, bursting transversely.
A genus of about 90 species, of almost precisely the same geographical range as Hymenophyllum, and agreeing with it in habit and in the delicate texture of the frond, but differing in the shape of the indusium, which is cylindrical or urceolate, and either truncate at the mouth or very shallowly 2-lipped. Of the 7 species found in New Zealand, 4 appear to be endemic, 2 occur in the Polynesian islands, one of them extending as far north as Java, the remaining one is found in Australia and Tasmania.
| * Fronds simple and entire. |
| Fronds 2–4 in. diam., broadly reniform with a deep sinus | 1. T. reniforme. |
| ** Fronds small, ½–4 in. long, usually pendulous, delicately membranous, pinnately or 2-pinnately divided; divisions comparatively few. |
| Fronds ¾–1½ in., digitately or flabellately divided, margins ciliated with branched rufous hairs. Indusium obconical, immersed | 2. T. Lyallii. |
| Fronds 1–3 in., dull dark-green, irregularly 2-pinnatifid, segments with a single unbranched costa | 3. T. humile. |
| Fronds 1–4 in., pale-green, irregularly 2-pinnatifid, costa of the segments giving off numerous dichotomous veinlets | 4. T. venosum. |
| Fronds 1–4 in., dark-green, 2–3-pinnately divided; rhachis not winged. Segments very narrow-linear, acute; costa not branched | 5. T. Colensoi. |
| *** Fronds larger, 4–9 in. long, rigidly erect, subcoriaceous, 3–4-pinnatifid; divisions numerous. |
| Fronds lanceolate, pale yellow-green; ultimate segments narrow-linear, obtuse | 6. T. strictum. |
| Fronds ovate-deltoid, dark-green; ultimate segments broad, oblong, incised at the tips | 7. T. elongatum. |
​1. T. reniforme, Forst. Prodr. n. 462.—Creeping over the ground in moist forests, or clothing the trunks of trees and rotten logs. Rhizome stout, hard, rigid, wide-creeping; rootlets woolly. Stipes 2–8 in. long, erect, wiry, glabrous. Fronds 2–4 in. broad, quite entire, broadly reniform with a deep sinus, dark-green and translucent when fresh, brown and almost horny when dry, flat or undulate, glossy, quite glabrous; veins radiating from the base, numerous, close, prominent, repeatedly dichotomous, spurious venules wanting. Sori very numerous, crowded, often encircling the whole of the margin of the frond. Indusium narrow cup-shaped or almost bell-shaped. Receptacle far-exserted, stout columnar, covered with sporangia.—A. Rich. Fl. Nouv. Zel. 95; A. Cunn. Precur. n. 228; Raoul, Choix, 38; Hook. Sp. Fil. i. 115; Exot. Ferns, t. 2; Hook. and Grev. Ic. Fl. t. 31; Hook. f. Fl. Nov Zel. ii. 16; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 356; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 73; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 46; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 68, t. 2, f. 3. Crepidomanes reniforme, Presl.
North and South Islands, Stewart Island, Chatham Islands: From the North Cape southwards, abundant in damp woods, except on the eastern side of Canterbury and Otago, where it is rare and local. Sea-level to 3000 ft. Kidney-fern; Raurenga.
A very distinct and beautiful species, quite unlike any other. The frond differs from that of all the other species in having from 4 to 6 layers of cellules. It is confined to New Zealand, its reported occurrence in Australia (Handb. N.Z. Fl. 747) not having been confirmed.
2. T. Lyallii, Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 77.—Small, pendulous, very delicate, clothing the trunks of trees in damp forests. Rhizome branched, creeping, capillary, sparingly clothed with simple or stellate red-brown hairs. Stipes 1–2 in. long, very slender, filiform. Fronds ¾–1½ in. long and broad, deltoid or sub-orbicular in outline, delicately membranous and diaphanous, digitately or flabellately divided almost to the base. Segments simple or dichotomously branched, linear, obtuse, flat, minutely denticulate; margins ciliated with branched rufous hairs. Sori few or many to a frond, deeply sunk in the tips of the segments. Indusium obconical, the width of the mouth about equalling the depth of the tube; margins ciliated, not dilated nor bordered. Receptacle included.—Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 45; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 70, t. 5, f. 4. Hymenophyllum Lyallii, Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 16; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 355.
North and South Islands.—From the Great Barrier Island and Cape Colville southwards, not uncommon in dense moist forests, but rare or absent on the east coast of the South Island, plentiful in Westland and the south-west of Otago. Stewart Island: Mount Anglem, Kirk. Sea-level to 3000 ft.
Exactly intermediate between Trichomanes and Hymenophyllum, so far as the structure of the indusium is concerned. It is purely a matter of taste as to which genus it should be referred to.
​3. T. humile, Forst. Prodr. n. 464.—Small, pendulous from the faces of rocks or bank-sides. Rhizomes much branched, slender, creeping, intermatted. Stipes short, slender, ¼–½ in. long, winged almost to the base. Fronds 1–3 in. long, ¾–1½ in. broad, lanceolate or linear-oblong, quite glabrous, membranous, dark dull-green, irregularly 2-pinnatifid; rhachis winged throughout. Pinnæ ascending, forked or again pinnatifid. Ultimate segments linear, flat, obtuse, quite entire, a single costa in each segment, spurious venules wanting. Sori solitary, sunk in the tip of a short lateral segment and on the upper side of a pinna near its base. Indusium tubular or trumpet-shaped; mouth expanded, shortly 2-lipped. Receptacle usually exserted as a long capillary bristle.—Hook. and Grev. Ic. Fil. t. 35; Hook. Sp. Fil. i. 123; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 16; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 356; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 80; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 46; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 70, t. 5, n. 8.
North Island: From the North Cape southwards, not uncommon in dark woods. South Island: Nelson—Happy Valley, A. Grant. Marlborough—Queen Charlotte Sound, Banks and Solander. Canterbury—Banks Peninsula, Armstrong. Sea-level to 2000 ft.
Also in Java and the Pacific islands.
4. T. venosum, R. Br. Prodr. 159.—Pendulous, usually clothing the trunks of tree-ferns. Rhizome long, slender, branched, wide-creeping, densely tomentose. Stipes ½–2 in. long, very slender, capillary, naked. Fronds 1–4 in. long, ¾–1½ in. broad, linear or lanceolate to oblong, very delicate and membranous, translucent, pale-green, shining, quite glabrous, pinnate; rhachis broadly winged above, naked below. Pinnæ 4–8 pairs, very variable in shape and amount of cutting, from linear and undivided to rhomboidal-lanceolate and deeply and irregularly pinnatifid. Segments or lobes flat, obtuse, irregularly sinuate; costa flexuous, with numerous alternate once or twice dichotomous secondary veinlets. Sori generally solitary on each pinna and sunk in a short lobe on the upper margin near the base, but in specimens with broad lower pinnæ there may be 2–4 sori placed irregularly on both the upper and lower margins. Indusium tubular; mouth dilated all round, entire or very slightly 2-lipped. Receptacle usually exserted, capillary.—A. Cunn. Precur. n. 229; Raoul, Choix, 38; Hook. Syn. Fil. i. 132; Hook. and Grev. Ic. Fil. t. 78; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 17; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 357; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 82; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 702; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 47; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 71, t. 14, f. 4. T. venustulum. Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xii. (1880) 366.
Kermadec Islands, North and South Islands, Stewart Island, Chatham Islands: Abundant in moist forests throughout. Sea-level to 2500 ft.
Also in south-eastern Australia and Tasmania. Mr. Colenso's T. venustulum is simply a small state with broader lower pinnæ sometimes bearing 2–4 sori.
​5. T. Colensoi, Hook. f. Ic. Plant. t. 979.—Pendulous from rocks or from the trunks of trees. Rhizome wide-creeping, branched, capillary, more or less tomentose. Stipes short, slender, naked. Fronds rather distant, 2–5 in. long, ½–1 in. broad, oblong-lanceolate or linear-oblong, acuminate, quite glabrous, membranous, dark-green, 3-pinnatifid; rhachis slender, not winged. Primary pinnæ 5–12 pairs, remote, shortly stalked, pinnate at the base, pinnatifid above. Ultimate segments very narrow-linear, acute, quite entire; a central costa only in each segment. Sori solitary on the upper side of a pinna near its base and thus appearing axillary, erect, stipitate, quite free. Indusium tubular, the mouth slightly dilated. Receptacle usually exserted as a long capillary bristle.—Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 17; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 357; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 85; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 47; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 71, t. 22, f. 3.
North Island: Auckland—Ravines at Mamaku, near Rotorua, J. Stewart! Lake Waikaremoana, Colenso! Taranaki—Mount Egmont Ranges, J. M. Brame. Wellington—Tararua Ranges, Buchanan! South Island: Nelson—Near Collingwood, Travers, Dall! Takaka Valley and West Wanganui, Kingsley. Canterbury—Banks Peninsula, Armstrong. Westland—Near Okarito, A. Hamilton! Otago—Vicinity of Dunedin, Buchanan! A. Hamilton! Lake Wanaka, Haast. Sea-level to 3000 ft.
Well distinguished by the finely cut fronds with distant pinnæ and very narrow-linear acute segments. Its nearest ally is the South American T. capillaceum, L.
6. T. strictum, Menz. ex Hook, and Grev. Ic. Fil. t. 122.—Rhizome very short, erect or inclined, stout, woody, emitting many long wiry rootlets. Fronds numerous, crowded at the top of the rhizome. Stipes 2–4 in. long, stiff, erect, terete, naked or narrowly margined above, furnished with a tuft of red-brown bristles at the base. Fronds 3–6 in. long, 1½–2½ in. broad, lanceolate or linear-oblong, acuminate, rigidly erect, yellowish-green, 3–4-pinnatifid; rhachis narrowly winged throughout or the wing evanescent in the lower part. Primary pinnæ close-set, lanceolate, ascending or spreading, the lower sometimes reduced in size; secondary pinnatifid. Ultimate segments narrow-linear, flat, entire, glabrous; texture firm; costa stout, unbranched. Sori usually not very numerous, terminating short segments near the base of the upper margin of the secondary pinnæ. Indusium quite free, erect, funnel-shaped, mouth dilated all round. Receptacle exserted, capillary.—A. Rich. Fl. Nouv. Zel. 95; Hook. Sp. Fil. i. 136; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 17; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 356; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. (edit. 2) 466; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 47. T. leptophyllum, A. Cunn. Precur. n. 232; Raoul, Choix, 38. T. Cunninghamii, Van der Bosch. T. rigidum var. strictum. Field, Ferns N.Z. 72, t. 28, f. 3.
North Island: Damp forests from Hokianga southwards to Wellington, but far from common. South Island: Nelson—Massacre Bay, Lyall, Travers; ​Takaka and West Wanganui, Kingsley. Westland—Kumara, J. M. Brame! Okarito, A. Hamilton! Otago—Dusky Sound, Hector and Buchanan. Stewart Island: Ulva, rare, Kirk. Sea-level to 3000 ft.
Confined to New Zealand, but very closely allied to the widely spread T. rigidum, Swartz.
7. T. elongatum, A. Cunn. Precur. n. 231.—Rhizome short, stout, erect or inclined, clothed with the bases of the old stipites; rootlets many, rigid and wiry. Fronds 4–8 at the top of the rhizome. Stipes 3–9 in, long, stout, rigid, terete, rough below and furnished at the very base with a tuft of linear bristles, not winged above. Fronds 3–8 in. long, 1½–3 in. broad, ovate-deltoid, acuminate, rigid, dark olive-green, often coated on the upper surface with mosses and hepaticæ, 2–3-pinnatifid; main rhachis scarcely winged except at the very top. Primary pinnæ close, rhomboidal-lanceolate, pinnate at the base, pinnatifid above; secondary imbricating, oblong-cuneate, deeply incised or pinnatifid. Ultimate segments or lobes rather broad, usually incised at the tips, the teeth acute; veins stout, branching, one to each tooth. Sori numerous, in the axils of the lobes of the secondary pinnæ. Indusium narrow funnel-shaped, quite free; mouth scarcely dilated, entire or very slightly 2-lipped. Receptacle stout, rigid, exserted.—Raoul, Choix, 38; Hook. Ic. Plant. t. 701; Sp. Fil. i. 134; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 17; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 356. T. rigidum var. elongatum, Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 86; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 48; Field, N.Z. Ferns 73, t. 16, f. 2. T. polyodon. Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xxviii. (1896) 618.
North Island: Dark woods, abundant to the north of the East Cape, from thence rare and local southwards to Cook Strait. South Island: Nelson—Collingwood, D. Grant; Takaka and West Wanganui, Kingsley. Marlborough—Queen Charlotte Sound, Banks and Solander. Canterbury—Banks Peninsula, Armstrong. Sea-level to 2500 ft.
Closely allied to the widely distributed T. rigidum, Swartz, and considered to be a variety of it by Mr. Baker and other pteridologists. But the frond is broader and more deltoid, the rhizome is not creeping, and the stipes and rhachis quite wingless; the pinnæ are more imbricate and less divided, and the segments are broader and shorter. It is also found in the New Hebrides.
3. LOXSOMA, R. Br.
Rhizome stout, woody, creeping, paleaceous. Fronds erect, coriaceous, opaque, quite glabrous, 3–4-pinnate; stipes long. Veins free, not anastomosing. Sori marginal, in a sinus of the teeth or lobes of the frond, terminating a vein. Indusium cup-shaped or almost urceolate, coriaceous; mouth truncate, entire. Receptacle long, columnar, exserted. Sporangia numerous, mixed with jointed hairs, obovoid or pyriform, girt by a complete oblique ring, bursting vertically.
A genus of a single species, endemic in the northern portion of the colony.
​1. L. Cunninghamii, R. Br. ex A. Cunn. Precur. n. 215, t. 31, 32.—Rhizome long, stout, tortuous, densely clothed with linear red-brown hairs. Stipes 1–2 ft. high, erect, pale-brown, glabrous, smooth and polished. Fronds 9–24 in. long, 6–12 in. broad, broadly triangular, coriaceous, dark-green above, glaucous-white or pale-green beneath; rhachis polished, channelled. Primary pinnæ rather distant, ascending, the upper alternate, the lowermost opposite; secondary ovate-lanceolate or lanceolate, pinnate below, pinnatifid above. Ultimate segments oblong, subacute, toothed or notched. Sori inserted in the notches, the indusium pointing backwards from the frond.—Raoul, Choix, 38; Hook. Gen. Fil. t. 15; Sp. Fil. i. 86; Garden Ferns, t. 31; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 18; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 358; Hook, and Bak. Syn. Fil. 56; Thoms. N.Z Ferns, 33; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 55, t. 12, f. 1. Trichomanes cœnopteroides, Harv. ex A. Cunn. l.c. Davallia dealbata, A. Cunn. l.c.
North Island: Auckland—In woods from Mongonui and Kaitaia southwards to Te Aroha, not common. Sea-level to 1200 ft.
A very remarkable fern, with the habit of a coriaceous Davallia or Dicksonia, and the sorus of a Trichomanes. But the sporangia differ widely from those of Trichomanes in having an oblique ring, and the dehiscence is vertical, like that of Gleichenia and Schizæa. In has generally been placed in the tribe Hymenophyllaceæ, but the recent investigations of Professor Bower (Phil. Trans. Vol. cxcii., pp. 47 to 52) seem to prove that Presl and Bommer were right in regarding it as constituting a distinct tribe, having affinities with Gleichenia and Schizæa on the one hand, and on the other with the Hymenophyllaceæ and Dennstædia.
4. CYATHEA, Smith.
Tree-ferns, the New Zealand species with a trunk or caudex varying from 10–50 ft. or even more. Fronds very large, usually 2–3-pinnate, very rarely (in species not found in New Zealand) pinnate or undivided. Stipes often muricate or aculeate. Sori dorsal, globose, situated upon a vein or at the fork of a vein; receptacle elevated, globose or elongated. Indusium globose, at first covering the whole sorus, but soon bursting at the summit, often in an irregular manner, usually persistent as a cup surrounding the base of the sorus, its margin entire or laciniate. Sporangia numerous, sessile or nearly so, often mixed with jointed hairs, bursting transversely; ring somewhat oblique, usually complete.
A large and beautiful genus of over 120 species, most plentiful in damp tropical or subtropical regions, unknown in the north temperate zone. It attains its southern limit in New Zealand. Of the 4 species found therein, 2 appear to be endemic; the remaining 2 extend to Australia or the Pacific islands.
* Under-surface of frond white. :
| Trunk 10–30 ft. Fronds 6–12 ft.; stipes and rhachis clothed with yellowish-brown deciduous tomentum | 1. C. dealbata. ​ |
| ** Under-surface of frond green. ||
| Trunk 20–50 ft. Fronds 8–20 ft., coriaceous; stipes and rhachis conspicuously muricate beneath. Fertile segments lobulate or pinnatifid | 2. C. medullaris. |
| Trunk 20–40 ft. Fronds 6–18 ft., not so coriaceous; stipes and rhachis rough but hardly muricate, clothed with yellow-brown tomentum. Fertile segments obscurely serrate, not lobulate | 3. C. Milnei. |
| Trunk 8–20 ft. Fronds 6–10 ft., almost membranous; stipes and rhachis slightly asperous, clothed with strigose hairs above. Fertile segments lobulate or pinnatifid | 4. C Cunninghamii. |
1. C. dealbata, Swartz, Syn. Fil. 140, 356.—Trunk 10–30 ft. high, seldom more, 9–18 in. diam. at the base, clothed above the middle with the short light-brown bases of the old stipites. Fronds numerous, horizontally spreading, 6–12 ft. long, 2–4 ft. broad, 2–3-pinnate, subcoriaceous, green or yellow-green above, pure-white beneath from a coating of deciduous powder. Stipes rather slender, slightly asperous, clothed at the base with shining dark-brown linear scales, elsewhere (together with the rhachis and costæ) more or less covered with yellow-brown deciduous tomentum, becoming almost glabrous when old. Primary pinnæ 1–1½ ft. long, oblong, acuminate; secondary 2–4 in., linear-lanceolate, acuminate or almost caudate, deeply pinnatifid or pinnate towards the base. Segments or pinnules ¼–½ in. long, linear-oblong, acute or subacute, more or less falcate, serrate. Sori small, globose, copious, but often confined to the lower half of the segments. Indusium small, membranous, only covering the sorus in a very early stage, persistent at the base as a shallow cup.—A. Rich. Fl. Nouv. Zel. 77, t. 10; A. Cunn. Precur. n. 226; Raoul, Choix, 38; Hook. Sp. Fil. i. 27; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 7; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 349; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 26; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 28; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 45, t. 10, f. 2. C. tricolor, Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xv. (1883) 304. (?)Hemitelia falciloba, Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xxiv. (1892) 394. Polypodium dealbatum, Forst. Prodr. n. 454.
North and South Islands, Chatham Islands: Abundant in woods from the North Cape to Foveaux Strait. Sea-level to 2000 ft. Ponga; Silver Tree-fern.
Perhaps the most generally distributed of the New Zealand tree-ferns. It can usually be identified at a glance by the milk-white under-surface of the fronds, although individual specimens are occasionally seen in which the under-surface is obscurely glaucous or even quite green. Very young plants are always green beneath; the white first appearing in irregular patches, giving the under-surface a curious piebald appearance. Outside New Zealand it occurs in Lord Howe Island, and a barren plant collected at Penang is assumed to be the same.
2. C. medullaris, Swartz, Syn. Fil. 140, 366.—Trunk 20–50 ft. high or even more, in old plants furnished at the base with a hard and thick conical buttress formed of densely compacted aerial root​lets, sometimes extending for several feet up the trunk, and 1–2½ ft. diam. at the foot; trunk proper rather slender for its height, black, marked with the hexagonal scars of the old stipites, and at the very top rough with the remains of the stipites. Fronds numerous, 20–30, curving, 8–20 ft. long, 3–5 ft. broad, 2–3-pinnate, coriaceous, dark-green above, paler beneath. Stipes stout, clothed at the base with copious black linear scales, and together with the rhachis more or less covered with scattered tubercles. Primary pinnæ 1½–3 ft. long, oblong-lanceolate, acuminate; secondary 4–6 in. long, ¾–1½ in. broad, linear-lanceolate to linear-oblong, acuminate, pinnate below, pinnatifid above, costæ more or less clothed with tawny silky hairs or glabrous. Pinnules or segments about ½ in. long, 1/10–1/8 in. broad, linear or linear-oblong, obtuse, falcate; the fertile ones deeply crenate-serrate or lobulate, sometimes pinnatifid; the barren ones broader, crenate-serrate or almost entire; costules usually with pale ciliated scales beneath. Sori very numerous, one to each lobe of the pinnule. Indusium brown, membranous, splitting into 2–4 irregular lobes.—A. Rich. Fl. Nouv. Zel. 78; A. Cunn. Precur. n. 227; Raoul, Choix, 38; Hook. Sp. Fil. i. 26; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 7; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 349; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 25; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 28; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 42, t. 9, f. 3. C. polyneuron, Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xi. (1879) 429. Polypodium medullare, Forst. Prodr. n. 452; Pl Escul. 74.
North and South Islands, Stewart Island, Chatham Islands: From the Three Kings Islands and the North Cape southwards, abundant, except in the east of Canterbury and Otago. Sea level to 2000 ft. Korau; Mamaku; Black Tree-fern.
Apparently the same species occurs in south-east Australia, Tasmania, and in several of the Pacific islands. Colenso's C. polyneuron, separated by him chiefly on account of the more numerous veinlets, hardly seems to be entitled to the rank of a variety. The mucilaginous pith of the trunk and lower part of the stipes was formerly baked and eaten by the Maoris, and was considered to be aa excellent article of food.
3. C. Milnei, Hook. ex Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 349.—Trunk tall, 20–40 ft. high, 1 ft. in diam. at the base. Fronds numerous, 6–18 ft. long, 2–4 ft. broad, 2–3-pinnate, not so coriaceous as in C. medullaris, dark-green above, paler beneath. Stipes stout, clothed at the base with copious linear scales, slightly asperous on the under-surface, more or less covered, as are the rhachides and costæ, with yellowish-brown deciduous wool intermixed with membranous scales. Primary pinnæ 1½–2½ ft. long, 6–10 in. wide, oblong-lanceolate, acuminate; secondary 3–5 in. long, about ¾ in. broad, linear-oblong, acuminate, deeply pinnatifid. Segments ⅓–½ in. long, oblong, obtuse, falcate, obscurely crenate-serrate, margins slightly recurved, under-surface often scaly-pubescent. Sori copious, rather large, nearer the costule than the margin. ​Indusium membranous, splitting irregularly, persistent at the base of the sorus as a shallow cup with lacerate margins.—Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 26.
Kermadec Islands: Sunday Island, abundant from sea-level to the tops of the highest hills, alt. 1700 ft.
A noble species, allied to C. medullaris, but sufficiently distinct in the more membranous fronds, in the stipes and rhachis not being conspicuously muricate and densely clothed on both sides with yellowish-brown deciduous wool, and in the fertile segments being much less coarsely serrate.
4. C. Cunninghamii, Hook. f. in Hook. Ic. Plant. t. 985.—Trunk 8–20 ft. high, rarely more, often coated at the base with densely compacted aerial rootlets, upper part covered with the pendent withered fronds. Fronds numerous, 20–30, 6–10 ft. long, 2–4 ft. broad, 2–3-pinnate, subcoriaceous or almost membranous, flaccid, dark-green above, paler beneath. Stipes rather slender, dark-coloured at the very base, and furnished with numerous linear scales, elsewhere pale, and together with the rhachis slightly tubercled, more or less covered, especially on the upper surface, with pale yellowish-brown woolly or strigose tomentum. Primary pinnæ 1–2 ft. long, 4–6 in. broad, oblong-lanceolate, acuminate; secondary 2–4 in. long, about ¾ in. broad, linear-oblong, acuminate, deeply pinnatifid above, pinnate below. Segments or pinnules ⅓–½ in. long, linear, obtuse, regularly lobulate or pinnatifid; lobules entire; veins forked. Sori copious, one to each lobe of the pinnule, rather nearer the costa than the margin. Indusium brown, membranous, at first covering the sorus, splitting up very irregularly, sometimes leaving an unequal-sided cup with lacerate edges, at other times a single lobe on one side as in Hemitelia.—Fl. Nov. Zel. ii 7; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 350; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 25; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 29; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 44, t. 9, f. 1, 2.
North Island: Auckland—Bay of Islands, Cunningham, Miss Clarke! Whangarei, T.F.C.; Great Barrier Island, Kirk; Waitakerei and Hunua, T.F.C. Wellington—Hutt Valley, Ralph, Buchanan. South Island: Nelson—Bateman's Gully, D. Grant! Chatham Islands: H. H. Travers! Miss Seddon! Sea-level to 1500 ft.
Best distinguished from C. medullaris, to which it is closely allied, by the smaller size, more membranous fronds, paler and much less muricate stipes and rhachis, which are more or less clothed with yellowish strigose hairs, and by the smaller segments and sori.
5. HEMITELIA, R. Br.
Tree-ferns, not distinguishable in habit from Cyathea. Fronds large, usually 2–3-pinnate, rarely pinnate. Stipes smooth or asperous or muricate. Veins pinnately forked; veinlets free, or the lower ones more or less anastomosing just above the costa. Sori dorsal, globose, situated upon a vein or veinlet; receptacle elevated, globose or elongated. Indusium never covering the sorus, ​very variable in size and shape, usually a half cup-shaped or semi-circular scale on the lower side of the sorus, sometimes small and indistinct, often deciduous. Sporangia numerous, sessile or nearly so, bursting transversely; ring somewhat oblique, complete.
A tropical or subtropical genus, containing about 45 species, 30 of which are natives of America, the remainder scattered through the warm regions of the Old World. It only differs from Cyathea in the small one-sided involucre, and several species might be referred to either genus. The single species found in New Zealand is endemic.
1. H. Smithii, Hook. ex Hook, and Baker Syn. Fil. 31.—Trunk 6–25 ft. high, about 9 in. diam., coated with fibrous aerial rootlets below, clothed towards the top with the pendulous withered rhachides of the old fronds. Fronds numerous, horizontally spreading, 5–9 ft. long, bipinnate, lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, acute but hardly acuminate, thin and membranous, bright fresh-green. Stipes slender, clothed at the base with a dense brush of long shining chestnut-brown subulate-lanceolate scales, slightly asperous beneath; rhachis pale yellow-green, almost glabrous when old, when young clothed with strigillose hairs above, and with lax deciduous scales beneath. Primary pinnæ 9–15 in. long, 3–4 in. broad, linear-oblong, acuminate; costæ clothed with strigillose hairs above, paleaceous or glabrous beneath; secondary pinnæ 1½–2½ in. long, pinnatifid above, pinnate at the base. Segments linear-oblong, acute, slightly falcate, coarsely serrate. Sori copious, on the fork of the veins. Indusium hemispherical, on the costal side of the sorus, variable in size, sometimes almost wrapping round the sorus at the base.—Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 29; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 46, t. 9, f. 5. Cyathea Smithii, Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 8, t. 72; Handb. N.Z. Fil. 350. C. stellulata, Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xviii. (1886) 222.
Var. microphylla, Cheesem.—Fronds fewer in number, soft, delicately membranous, pale grass-green; rhachis densely strigillose above, paleaceous beneath. Primary pinnæ rather narrower and more acuminate. Segments smaller, entire or bluntly crenulate towards the tip.—H. microphylla, Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xxvii. (1895) 399.
North and South Islands, Stewart Island: Abundant in damp hilly forests from Kaitaia (Mongonui County) southwards. Sea-level to 2000 ft. Auckland Islands: Norman Inlet, rare, W. Joss ex Cockayne!
A very beautiful species, with the most tender fronds of any New Zealand tree-fern. The trunk is not uncommonly forked or branched above; and Mr. Buchanan (Trans. N.Z. Inst. xix., 217) describes and figures a remarkable specimen which had no less than 16 well-developed branches. H. Smithii and Dicksonia squarrosa are plentiful through the whole of the lowland districts of Stewart Island, in S. lat. 47° 20′, and the former species has recently been found in the Auckland Islands (S. lat. 50° 40′), the extreme southern limit of arborescent ferns.
6. ALSOPHILA, R. Br.
Usually tree-ferns, but in some species the trunk is short or absent. Fronds large, 2–3-pinnate, very similar to those of Cyathea or Hemitelia. Veins of the segments forked or pinnately divided. Sori dorsal, globose, situated upon a vein or at the fork of a vein; receptacle more or less elevated, pilose. Indusium altogether wanting. Sporangia numerous, sessile or nearly so, often mixed with hairs, bursting transversely; ring somewhat oblique, complete.
Species about 120, mostly tropical, nearly half of them from America, the remainder scattered through tropical Asia, Malaya, and the Pacific islands, with a few in Africa. The single New Zealand species is endemic.
1. A. Colensoi, Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 8, t. 73.—Caudex long, prostrate and rooting, seldom more than 6–8 in. in circumference, rarely erect or ascending at the tip and attaining a height of 3–5 ft. fronds 2–5 ft. long, ¾–2 ft. broad, 2–3-pinnate, broadly ovate-lanceolate, acute, membranous, yellowish-green or reddish-brown. Stipes short, densely covered at the base with pale subulate scales 1 in. long, upper portion, together with the rhachis and costæ, more or less thickly clothed with fulvous or reddish-brown hairs intermixed (especially on the under-surface) with pale tumid scales. Primary pinnæ 9–15 in. long, 2–3½ in. broad, oblong-lanceolate, acuminate; secondary 1½–2 in. long, about ½ in. broad, pinnatifid above, pinnate at the base. Segments oblong, obtuse, obtusely serrate; veins simple. Sori copious, situated on the middle of the veins.—Handb. N.Z. Fl. 350; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 40; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 30; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 48, t. 3, f. 4.
North Island: Mountains of the interior, from Hikurangi and Mount Egmont southwards. South Island: Not uncommon in hilly and subalpine forests throughout. Stewart Island: Mount Anglem, Kirk! Usually between 2000 and 4000 ft., but descends to low levels in the south of Otago.
For some interesting remarks on the mode of growth of this species, see Mr. Field's "New Zealand Ferns," quoted above; also a paper by the same author in the "Journal of Botany" for 1878, p. 365.
7. DICKSONIA L'Herit.
Usually tree-ferns, but in some species the caudex is short or absent. Fronds large, 2–3-pinnate. Stipes smooth or muricate. Veins pinnately forked, veinlets always free. Sori near the margin of the frond, globose, placed on the apex of a veinlet; receptacle more or less elevated. Indusium distinctly 2-valved, the upper valve continuous with the margin of the frond and usually similar to it in texture, consisting of an incurved or concave lobule; lower valve membranous or coriaceous. Sporangia numerous, sessile or nearly so, bursting transversely; ring oblique, complete.
Excluding the section Patania (Dennstædtia, Bernh.), which seems to be more appropriately placed in the vicinity of Davallia, the genus contains about 25 species, widely dispersed through the tropical and subtropical regions of both hemispheres. The 3 New Zealand species are endemic, but one of them differs but slightly from the Australian D. antarctica, Labill.
| Trunk 6–20 ft., slender, black. Stipes blackish-brown, tubercled. Sori 6–12 on each segment | 1. D. squarrosa. |
| Trunk 6–20 ft., very stout, brown. Stipes short, pale-brown, smooth. Sori 3–6 to each segment | 2. D. fibrosa. |
| Trunk wanting or very short. Stipes long, smooth, pale. Sori 6–12 to each segment | 3. D. lanata. |
1. D. squarrosa, Swartz., Syn. Fil. 136, 355.—Trunk 6–20 ft. high, slender, black or dark-brown, clothed above with the persistent bases of the old stipites. Fronds 4–8 ft. long, rarely more, 2–3½ ft. broad, oblong-lanceolate, 2–3-pinnate, rigid and coriaceous. Stipes slender, dark-brown or black at the base, paler above, when young clothed with long brownish-black hairs or setæ, almost glabrous when old, sides and under-surface rough with numerous small tubercles; rbachis and costæ clothed with deciduous reddish-brown wool above, rough with minute tubercles beneath. Primary pinnæ 10–20 in. long. 3–5 in. broad, oblong-lanceolate, acuminate; secondary 1½–3 in. long, ¼–½ in. broad, deeply pinnatifid. Barren segments ovate or oblong, rigid, sharply toothed, the teeth almost pungent; fertile smaller and much contracted, pinnatifid. Sori copious, covering the whole under-surface of the frond, 5–12 on each segment or 1 to each lobule. Indusium rather large, both valves concave.—A. Cunn. Precur. n. 216; Raoul, Choix, 38; Hook. Sp. Fil. i. 68; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 9; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 351; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 51; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 31; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 50, t. 10, f. 6, and t. 25, f. 6. D. gracilis, Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xv. (1883) 306. Trichomanes squarrosum, Forst. Prodr. n. 476.
North and South Islands, Stewart Island, Chatham Islands.—Abundant in woods throughout. Sea-level to 2500 ft. Weki or Wheki.
Easily recognised by the slender blackish trunk, harsh and coriaceous fronds, dark-coloured stipes rough with small tubercles beneath, and rather large copious sori. The trunk is occasionally branched and sometimes produces numerous adventitious buds along its whole length, crowned with miniature fronds. A form possessing this peculiarity, and with the fronds rather narrower and more finely cut than usual, was described by Mr. Colenso as a distinct species under the name of D. gracilis. I cannot separate it even as a variety.
2. D. fibrosa, Col. in Tasmanian Journ. Nat. Sci. (1845) 19.—Trunk 8–20 ft. high, stout, columnar, everywhere thickly coated with matted fibrous aerial rootlets, giving it a diameter when mature of from 1–2 ft., clothed towards the top with the old pendent withered fronds. Fronds numerous, 30 or more, spreading, 4–8 ft. long, 1½–2 ft. broad, lanceolate. 2–3-pinnate, coriaceous but not so much so as in D. squarrosa. Stipes very short, clothed at the base with dense bright red-brown fibrillose scales; rbachis and costæ ​pale-brown brown, smooth, densely pilose on both surfaces with soft brownish hairs. Primary pinnæ 4–10 in. long, l½–2½ in. broad, lanceolate, acuminate or almost caudate; secondary ¾–1½in. long, ¼–½ in. broad, linear or linear-oblong, pinnatifid or pinnate at the very base. Segments rather close, falcate, acute; the barren ones larger and broader, almost flat, acutely coarsely toothed; fertile smaller, contracted, concave, obtusely pinnatifid. Sori very numerous, covering the whole under-surface of the frond, small, 3–6 to each segment or 1 to each lobule.—Hook. Sp. Fil. i. 68, t. 23b; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 461; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 51, t. 10, f. 5, and t. 25, f. 1. D. antarctica. Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 10; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 351; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 31 (not of Labill.). D. intermedia. Col. ex Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 461. D. Sparrmanniana, Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xii. (1880) 364. D. microcarpa, Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xx. (1888) 214.
North and South Islands: From Tauranga and the Middle Waikato southwards, abundant in forests. Chatham Islands: Miss Seddon! Sea-level to 2500 ft. Weki-ponga; Kuripaka.
Very close indeed to the Australian D. antarctica, but a much smaller plant, with densely pilose rhachides and costæ, and smaller sori. Mr. Colenso's D. Sparrmanniana is a short-trunked form with rather broader fertile segments; and his D. microcarpa has smaller and more finely cut fronds, with smaller sori; but they both merge gradually into the ordinary form. The Maoris formerly sliced the fibrous outside of the trunk into slabs, and used them in the construction of their food-houses, for the purpose of excluding rats.
3. D. lanata, Col. in Tasmanian Journ. Nat. Sci. (1845) 21.—Caudex usually long, prostrate and rooting, as thick as the wrist; more rarely short, stout, erect, and attaining a height of 3–6 ft. Fronds few, 3–6 ft. long, 1–3 ft. broad, ovate or ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, 2–3-pinnate, thick and coriaceous but hardly rigid, yellowish-green above, paler beneath. Stipes from half as long to as long as the frond, pale, smooth, clothed at the base with long purplish-brown or yellowish-brown fibrillose scales, when young more or less covered (together with the rhachis and costæ) with soft woolly deciduous hairs, almost glabrous when mature. Primary pinnæ 6–12 in. long, 2–4 in. broad, oblong-lanceolate, acuminate; secondary 1–3 in. long, ⅓–⅔ in. broad, pinnate or pinnatifid. Segments or pinnules rather closely set, slightly falcate; barren oblong or ovate, obtusely or acutely toothed or lobulate; fertile smaller and narrower, deeply pinnatifid. Sori copious, 6–12 to a segment or 1 to each lobule.—Hook. Sp. Fil. i. 69, t. 23c; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 10; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 351; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 461; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 31; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 53, t. 11, f. 1a, 1b, 1c. D. lævis, Heward ex Hook. Sp. Fil. i. 69.
North Island: Hilly forests from Mongonui to Cook Strait, not common. South Island: Nelson—Massacre Bay, Travers; Pakawau, Kingsley! Westland—Okarito, A. Hamilton! Canterbury—Banks Peninsula, Armstrong. Sea-level to 2000 ft.
​At Whangarei, Bay of Islands, and other northern localities this usually produces a short stout trunk, but to the south of Auckland it is invariably stemless. Possibly there may be two distinct varieties with a different geographical range, but so far I have failed to find distinctive characters to separate them.
8. DAVALLIA, Smith.
Rhizome usually long and creeping, paleaceous. Fronds large or small, usually compound, very variously divided, rarely simple, stipitate; texture coriaceous to membranous. Veins always free. Sori dorsal, but close to or at the margin of the frond, terminating a vein or veinlet, globose or more or less elongated. Indusium oblong or ovate to orbicular or broader than long, attached by a broad base under the sorus, its sides either free or adnate to the frond, open at the top. Sporangia numerous, stalked, girt by an incomplete vertical ring, bursting transversely.
A large genus of over 100 species, most abundant in the tropical and sub-tropical regions of the Old World, rare in America. The three species found in New Zealand are endemic. I have kept up the genus as defined in the "Synopsis Filicum," but the tendency of authors is to separate it into five or six or even more separate genera, mainly based on differences in the indusium. If these views are followed, D. Tasmani is the only one of the New Zealand species that would be retained in the restricted genus Davallia, D. novæ-zealandiæ constituting the genus Leptolepia of Mettenius, and D. Forsteri falling into Odontosoria of Presl.
| Fronds 4–12 in., broadly deltoid, thick and coriaceous; ultimate segments oblong, obtuse. Indusium cup-shaped, attached by the sides as well as the base | 1. D. Tasmani. |
| Fronds about 6 in., rhomboid, subcoriaceous; ultimate segments ligulate-cuneate. Indusium pouch-shaped, attached by the sides as well as the base | 2. D. Forsteri. |
| Fronds 12–24 in., ovate-oblong to deltoid, firm but hardly coriaceous, very finely cut; ultimate segments narrow, acute. Indusium broadly ovate, attached by the base only | 3. D. novæ-zealandiæ. |
1. D. Tasmani, Cheesem. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xxiii. (1891) 416.—Rhizome long, stout, as thick as the finger, wide-creeping, densely clothed with chestnut-brown subulate ciliated scales. Stipes strong, rigid, smooth, 3–9 in. long. Fronds 4–12 in. long, 3–9 in. broad, broadly deltoid or pentagonal, very thick and coriaceous, quite smooth and glabrous, 2–3-pinnatifid. Lower pinnæ much the largest, broadly deltoid or rhomboidal; upper narrower, ovate or lanceolate. Pinnules oblong, cut down nearly to the base into 6–9 segments; segments short, oblong, obtuse. Sori very numerous, usually one to each segment, marginal, the segment usually produced on the outer side into a stout projecting horn. Indusium narrow cup-shaped, attached by the sides as well as the base.—Field, N.Z. Ferns, 75, t. 24, f. 5; Bak. in Ann. Bot. v. (1890–91) 201.
North Island: Three Kings Islands, abundant, T.F.C.
Very close to the northern D. canariensis, L., but stouter and more coriaceous, and not so finely cut.
2. D. Forsteri, Carruthers in Seem. Fl. Viti. 339.—"Stipes 6–8 in. long, naked, stramineous. Frond rhomboid, 4-pinnate, 6 in. long; pinnæ and pinnules ascending, rhomboid, stalked, the lowest the largest, cuneate-truncate on the lower side at the base; final segments ligulate-cuneate, 2–4 lines long, under ½ line broad; texture subcoriaceous; surfaces naked; sori minute, terminal, with the lamina produced on each side as a border."—Bak. Syn. Fil. (edit. 2) 470; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 49; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 74. Adiantum clavatum, Forst. Prodr. n. 459.
South Island: Dusky Bay, Forster.
Only known from Forster's specimens preserved in the British Museum Herbarium. Mr. Baker remarks that it is very near the New Caledonian D. scoparia, but the sori are smaller and bordered. In all probability it was collected by Forster in some locality in Polynesia, and accidentally mixed with his New Zealand plants.
3. D. novæ-zealandiæ, Col. in Tasmanian Journ. Nat. Sci. (1845) 22.—Rhizome long, branched, wide-creeping, as thick as a quill, clothed with yellowish-brown linear scales. Stipes 6–18 in. long, red-brown, firm, erect, rough and bristly at the base, smooth and polished above. Fronds 1–2 ft. long, 6–12 in. broad, ovate-oblong to deltoid, acuminate, firm but scarcely coriaceous, tripinnate; rhachis flexuose, channelled above, glabrous or pubescent at the axils. Primary pinnæ oblong-lanceolate, acuminate; secondary about the same shape, pinnate below, pinnatifid at the tips. Pinnules about ½ in. long, ovate-lanceolate, deeply pinnatifid; ultimate segments or lobes very narrow, acute. Sori very numerous, placed at the tip of a short lateral veinlet on the lobes of the pinnules. Indusium broadly ovate or almost orbicular, membranous, jagged, attached to the tip of the vein under the sorus, its sides quite free.—Hook. Sp. Fil. i. 158, t. 51b; Garden Ferns, t. 51; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 19; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 358; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 91; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 49; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 74, t. 18, f. 2. D. hispida, Heward MSS. ex Hook. Sp. Fil. i. 158. Acrophorus hispidus, Moore, Index. Fil. Leptolepia novæ-zealandiæ, Metten. ex Kuhn.
North and South Islands: In woods from the Bay of Islands southwards to Foveaux Strait, but often local. Sea-level to 2000 ft.
A very handsome and distinct species, with an unusually finely cut frond. It has been referred by turns to the genera (or divisions of Davallia) Leucostegia, Microlepia, and Acrophorus, and has been made the type of a new genus (Leptolepia) by Mettenius.
9. CYSTOPTERIS, Bernh.
Small membranous and flaccid ferns. Rhizome very short, creeping. Fronds tufted, 2–3-pinnatifid. Veins pinnate and forked; veinlets free, not anastomosing, terminating a little within the margin. Sori small, globose, dorsal, placed at a distance from the margin on the back of a vein. Indusium ovate-deltoid, membranous, jagged, free at the sides, inserted by a broad base under the sorus, and at first bent over it like a hood; ultimately reflexed. Sporangia numerous, stalked, girt by an incomplete vertical ring, bursting transversely.
A small genus of 5 species, found in cool damp mountainous situations in the temperate regions of both hemispheres. The single New Zealand species has the range of the genus.
1. C. fragilis, Bernh. in Schrad. Neu. Journ. Bot. ii. 27, t. 2, f. 9.—Rhizome short, suberect, often branched near the top, clothed with red-brown lanceolate scales. Stipes 1–4 in. long, slender, fragile, stramineous, slightly scaly at the base. Fronds 3–9 in. long, 1–2 in. broad, oblong-lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate, thin and membranous, pale-green, pinnate or 2-pinnate; rhachis smooth, naked, slightly winged above. Primary pinnæ rarely more than 1 in. long and usually much less, remote, spreading, lanceolate to ovate, toothed or pinnatifid or again pinnate; pinnules oblong, usually deeply toothed or incised. Sori 3–12 to a pinnule, medial on the veins. Indusium very delicate, at first covering the sorus, but soon reflexed and often disappearing in age.—Hook. Sp. Fil. i. 197; Hook. f. Fl. Tasm. ii. 136, t. 166; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 358; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 103; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 752; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 50; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 76, t. 18, f. 5, 5a. C. tasmanica. Hook. Sp. Fil. i. 199; Ic. Plant, t. 959. C. novæ-zealandiæ, Armstr. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xiii. (1881) 360. C. laciniatus. Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xxxi. (1899) 265.
North Island: Mount Egmont, Mrs. Jones, T.F.C.; Tararua Ranges, Buchanan; Wairarapa Valley, H. C. Field. South Island: Not uncommon in mountain districts throughout. Usually from 1000 to 4000 ft., but descends almost to sea-level in several localities in the South Island.
Almost universally distributed in the north and south temperate zones and on the higher mountains of the tropics, and everywhere extremely variable. The usual form in New Zealand has a rather narrow frond, with short and broad sparingly divided pinnæ, and the sori are rather small. But some states are almost indistinguishable from the northern var. dentata. I have seen no specimens of Mr. Colenso's C. laciniatus.
10. LINDSAYA, Dryander.
Usually small subcoriaceous bright-green ferns. Rhizome creeping or short and tufted. Fronds pinnate or 2–3-pinnatifid; pinnæ often 1-sided. Veins free, or anastomosing in a few species not found in New Zealand. Sori forming a continuous or more ​or less interrupted line within the margin of the frond and parallel to it, placed at the apex of 2 or more veins and uniting them. Indusium apparently double, and 2-valved, opening outwards; upper valve formed of the more or less altered margin of the frond; lower valve thin, membranous, continuous. Sporangia numerous, stalked, bursting transversely; ring vertical, incomplete.
Understood in the sense of the "Synopsis Filicum," this is a genus of about 60 species, mainly found in the tropics of both hemispheres. Two of the New Zealand species extend to Australia and Tasmania, one of them, reaching New Caledonia as well, the remaining one is endemic.
* Eulindsaya. Pinnæ unilateral. :
| Fronds linear, simply pinnate; pinnæ small, flabellate | 1. L. linearis. |
| ** Isoloma. Pinnæ equilateral. ||
| Fronds 2–3-pinnatifid, dark-green, oblong-lanceolate, broadest at the base; ultimate segments obovate, rounded at the tip | 2. L. trichomanoides. |
| Fronds 2–3-pinnatifid, pale-green, lanceolate, not broadest at the base; ultimate segments linear-cuneate, truncate at the tip | 3. L. viridis. |
1. L. linearis, Swartz, Syn. Fil. 118, 318, t. 3.—Rhizome slender, creeping, clothed with yellowish-brown scales. Stipes 2–9 in. long, slender, flexuous, wiry, dark red-brown, smooth and shining. Fronds 3–8 in. long, about ½ in. broad, narrow-linear, membranous, pinnate; barren ones shorter and broader than the fertile, often prostrate; fertile always erect; rhachis naked, glossy. Pinnæ of the fertile fronds ⅙–⅓ in. long, flabellate or cuneate, sessile or nearly so, not lobed or very indistinctly so, revolute when dry. Sori forming a continuous line along the upper edge. Indusium broad, membranous; both valves minutely and irregularly laciniate. Pinnæ of the barren fronds ¼–½ in. long or more, deeply lobed or incised.—A. Rich. Fl. Nouv. Zel. 85; A. Cunn. Precur. n. 213; Raoul, Choix, 38; Hook. Sp. Fil. i. 206; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 19; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 359; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 104; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 719; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 51; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 77, t. 19, f. 4, 4a. L. trilobata. Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvi. (1884) 345.
North and South Islands, Stewart Island, Chatham Islands: From the North Cape southwards, usually on clay hills or in cold swampy soils, most plentiful to the north of the East Cape, rare and local in the South Island. Sea-level to 2000 ft.
Also found throughout the whole of eastern Australia and Tasmania, in Norfolk Island, and in New Caledonia. Mr. Colenso's L. trilobata, which appears to be the most abundant state in New Zealand, only differs in the pinnæ of the barren frond being rather more deeply lobed than usual.
2. L. trichomanoides, Dryand. in Trans. Linn. Soc. iii. (1797) 43, t. 11.—Rhizome creeping, slender, clothed with reddish-brown ​scales. Stipes 3–8 in. long, rather rigid, slender, wiry, angled, polished, glabrous or slightly scaly towards the base. Fronds 3–8 in. long, 1½–4 in. broad, oblong-lanceolate or linear-oblong, more rarely ovate-oblong, subcoriaceous, dark-green, bipinnate. Primary pinnæ nearly opposite, 1–3 in. long, lanceolate, erectopatent, pinnatifid above, pinnate below. Pinnules or segments obovate or rounded-cuneate, entire or more or less toothed or lobed, rarely again pinnatifid. Veins obscure, flabellately branched. Sori forming a continuous intramarginal line round the apex of the lobes.—A. Rich. Fl. Nouv. Zel. 85; A. Cunn. Precur. n. 214; Raoul, Choix, 38; Hook. Sp. Fil. i. 218; Hook. f. Fl. Nouv. Zel. ii. 19; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 359; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 110; Benth. Fl Austral. vii. 720; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 52; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 78, t. 19, f. 1. Adiantum cuneatum, Forst. Prodr. n. 461.
Var. Lessonii, Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 19.—Fronds simply pinnate or 2-pinnate at the base alone; pinnæ oblong-lanceolate, entire or lobed or pinnatifid.—L. Lessonii, Bory in Duper. Voy. Coq. 278, t. 37, i. 2; A. Rich. Fl. Nouv. Zel. 84; A. Cunn. Precur. n. 212; Raoul, Choix, 38; Hook. Sp. Fil. i. 217. L. discolor, Col.
North and South Islands: From Hokianga southwards to Foveaux Strait, common in the North Island, local on the eastern side of the South Island. Sea-level to 2500 ft.
Also in Australia, Tasmania, and the Fiji Islands.
3. L. viridis, Col. in Tasmanian Journ. Nat. Sci. (1845) 14.—Rhizome very short, suberect. Stipites densely tufted at the top of the rhizome, 1–4 in. long, slender, wiry, dark chestnut-brown, angled, smooth and polished, glabrous except a tuft of pale-brown scales at the base. Fronds 6–14 in. long, 1–1½ in. broad, lanceolate, acuminate, pale-green, subcoriaceous, 2–3-pinnatifid; rhachis slender, flexuose, shining, naked. Primary pinnæ alternate, ascending, the lower ones much reduced in size, rhomboid-lanceolate; secondary obversely deltoid, simple or deeply lobed or again flabellately pinnate. Ultimate segments about ⅙ in. long, cuneate or linear-cuneate, truncate. Veins simple or forked. Sori very numerous, at the tips of the segments. Indusium membranous, transversely oblong, from rather broader than long to twice as broad as long; outer valve (tip of the segment) irregularly erose.—Bak. in Journ. Bot. (1875) 109; Kirk in Trans. N.Z. Inst. x. (1878) 396; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 51; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 79, t. 21, f. 2. L. trichomanoides (in part), Hook. Sp. Fil. i. 218; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 19; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 359 (not of Dryand.). L. microphylla. Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 110 (the New Zealand plant), not of R. Br.
North Island: Auckland—Great Barrier Island, Kirk, Winkelmann! Little Barrier Island, Miss Shakespear! Thames, Adams! Henderson's Creek, T.F.C.; Huia Creek, Kirk; near Mauku, H. Carse; between Tauranga and Rotorua, Colenso! East Cape district, Bishop Williams. Tara​naki—Mount Egmont Ranges, J. M. Brame. Wellington—Upper Wanganui, and from thence to the base of the Tararua Range, H. C. Field. South Island: Nelson—Massacre Bay, Lyall; Torrent Bay, Kingsley. Westland—Near Hokitika, W. H. Tipler. Otago—Sounds of the West Coast, Buchanan.
A very beautiful and distinct species, usually found on dripping rocks by waterfalls, or on the mossy banks of streams.
11. ADIANTUM, Linn.
Rhizome creeping or tufted. Stipes usually long, often black and glossy. Fronds pinnate or 2–3-pinnate, never pinnatifid, rarely simple (in a few species not found in New Zealand). Pinnules more or less dimidiate or unilateral. Veins forked or repeatedly dichotomous, frequently radiating from the petiole to the margin. Sori marginal, varying in shape from reniform or globose to oblong or linear, usually numerous and distinct, sometimes confluent and continuous. Indusium the same shape as the sorus, composed of the altered margin of the frond, which is reflexed and bears the sporangia on its under-side, opening inwards. Sporangia stalked, bursting transversely; ring vertical, incomplete.
A well-marked genus of about 80 species, found in all tropical and sub-tropical countries, but most abundant in tropical South America, a few species found in the temperate zones of both hemispheres. All the New Zealand species extend to Australia, and the majority to the Pacific islands as well, while one has a very wide distribution in warm climates generally.
A. Pinnules flabellate-cuneate, attached by the middle of the base. :
| Fronds 2–3-pinnate, thin and membranous, glabrous. Pinnules small, orbicular with a cuneate base | 1. A. æthiopicum. |
| B. Pinnules one-sided, obliquely oblong or rhomboid, attached by the lower corner of the frond. ||
| * Sori in the deep notches between the teeth or lobules of the pinnules. ||
| Fronds small, tender, simply pinnate or with 1–2 branches at the base. Pinnules sparsely setulose, rarely glabrous | 2. A. diaphanum. |
| Fronds dichotomous, each division flabellately divided into 3–7 branches. Rhachis densely hispid | 3. A. hispidulum. |
| ** Sori in shallow excavations at the tips of the lobules of the pinnæ, not in the notches between the lobules. ||
| Fronds very large and compound, 3–5 ft. high with the stipes. Rhachis pubescent above. Pinnules small, ¼–½ in. Sori transversely oblong | 4. A. formosum. |
| Fronds 1–2 ft. with the stipes. Rhachis smooth, polished. Pinnules ½–1 in., not falcate, glaucous beneath | 5. A. affine. |
| Fronds 1–2 ft. with the stipes. Rhachis and costæ clothed with fulvous hairs. Pinnules ½–¾ in., subfalcate, frequently setulose, not glaucous beneath | 6. A. fulvum. |
1. A. æthiopicum, Linn. Sp. Plant. 1560.—Rhizome creeping, stoloniferous. Stipes 4–10 in. long, very slender, dark chestnut-brown, shining, quite glabrous. Fronds 6–12 in. long, rarely more, ​3–6 in. broad, oblong to oblong-ovate or oblong-deltoid, erect or drooping, pale-green, very thin and membranous, flaccid, quite glabrous, 3–4-pinnate; rhachis very slender, almost capillary, flexuous, polished. Lower pinnæ 2–4 in. long, ovate-deltoid. Pinnules on rather long and slender petioles, not dimidiate, ¼–⅓ in. long, often broader than long, variable in shape, usually suborbicular with a more or less cuneate base, upper margin broadly and shallowly lobed. Pinnules of barren fronds often larger, entire or obscurely lobed. Sori 2–6 to a pinnule, placed in the notches or sinuses between the lobes. Indusium rather large, reniform or transversely oblong, pale.—Hook. Sp. Fil. ii. 37, t. 77a; Hook. f. Fl Nov. Zel. ii. 21; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 360; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 123; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 724; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 54; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 83, t. 17, f. 1. A. assimile, Swartz, Syn. Fil. 125, 322; Raoul, Choix, 38. A. trigonum, Labill. Pl. Nov. Holl. ii. 99, t. 248; Raoul, Choix, 38.
North Island: Plentiful in lowland districts from the North Cape to the Thames and Waikato Rivers, from thence rare and local to Hawke's Bay (Colenso!) and Taranaki (H. C. Field!). South Island: Has been reported from Nelson and Canterbury, but I have seen no specimens.
An abundant fern in most tropical and subtropical countries.
2. A. diaphanum, Blume, Enum. Fil. Jav. 215.—Rhizome very short, tufted; rootlets long, fibrous, densely tomentose, bearing numerous small oblong tubers. Stipes 2–6 in. long, very slender, almost capillary, wiry, glabrous or slightly scaly towards the base, dark purplish-brown or almost black. Fronds 3–6 in. long, rarely more, simply pinnate, or with 1–2 branches at the base which are sometimes almost as long as the central portion but usually much shorter, thin and membranous, flaccid, dark-green; branches ½–1 in. diam. Pinnules numerous, shortly petiolate, ⅓–½ in. long, about ¼ in. deep, dimidiate-oblong; lower margin straight or more or less decurved, entire; upper margin about parallel, and together with the rounded apex deeply crenate-toothed; surfaces sparingly setulose with minute stiff black hairs. Sori 4–8 to a pinnule, rarely more, placed in the notches of the upper and outer margins. Indusium reniform, pale, minutely setulose.—Hook. Sp. Fil. ii. 10 t. 80c; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 117; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 53 Field, N.Z. Ferns, 80, t. 13, f. 5. A. affine, Hook. Sp. Fil. ii. 32; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 20; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 360 (not of Willd.). A. setulosum, J. Sm. in. Bot. Mag. Comp. (1846) 22.
Var. polymorphum, Cheesem.—Fronds smaller, pale-green, usually simply pinnate, rarely branched at the base. Surfaces of the pinnæ and indusia quite glabrous.—A. polymorphum, Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xx. (1888) 215. A. tuberosum, Col. l.c. 217.
Kermadec Islands, North Island: Not uncommon in woods at low elevations, usually in rich alluvial soils. South Island: Apparently rare and ​local. Nelson—Bateman's Gully, D. Grant; Collingwood, H. H. Travers. Canterbury—Gorge of the Rakaia, Potts. Otago—Various localities, Buchanan, Kirk. Sea-level to 1000 ft.
Also in Norfolk Island, east Australia, Fiji, New Caledonia, New Hebrides, Java, and southern China.
3. A. hispidulum, Swartz, Syn. Fil. 124, 321.—Rhizome short, stout, creeping. Stipes 6–15 in. long, stout, erect, scabrous, dark-brown or almost black, more or less clothed with short greyish-white pubescence when young, becoming almost glabrous when old. Fronds broad, 6–12 in. or more across, dichotomously forked at the base, both forks irregularly flabellately divided into 3–7 linear secondary divisions 3–8 in. long by ½–¾ in. broad, colour olive-green, often red or reddish-brown when young, rhachises densely hispid-pubescent. Pinnules numerous, closely placed, petiolate, ⅓–⅔ in. long, about ¼ in. deep, dimidiate, rhomboidal, rigid, prominently nerved, more or less hispid, especially on the under-surface, upper margin and the obtuse tip finely toothed, lower margin entire. Sori numerous on each pinnule, contiguous, placed in the notches of the upper and outer margins. Indusium orbicular-reniform, minutely hispid.—A. Rich. Fl. Nouv. Zel. 88; A. Cunn. Precur. n. 209; Raoul, Choix, 38; Hook. Sp. Fil. ii. 31; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 20; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 360; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 126; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 725; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 55; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 82, t. 13, f. 1. A. pubescens, Schkuhr Fil. 108, t. 116; A. Rich. Fl. Nouv. Zel. 89. A. pedatum, Forst. Prod. 458 (not of Linn.).
Kermadec Islands, North Island: Abundant as far south as the East Cape and Raglan, from thence somewhat rare and local to Cook Strait. South Island" Nelson—Bishopdale, D. Grant.
The rather harsh hispid-pubescent fronds distinguish this from all the other New Zealand species. Outside New Zealand, it extends through the Pacific islands and Australia to tropical Asia and Africa.
4. A. formosum, R. Br. Prodr. 155.—Rhizome long, stout, creeping, scaly. Stipes 1–3 ft. high, dark purplish-black or quite black, shining, sometimes hairy towards the base, scabrous throughout. Fronds 1½–3ft. long, 12–20 in. broad, broadly deltoid, dark-green, copiously 3–4-pinnate; main rhachis flexuous, black, glossy, glabrous or pubescent; secondary rhachises usually pubescent. Lower pinnæ large and broad, often 12–15 in. long, ascending, very compound; secondary pinnæ usually again divided. Pinnules very numerous; fertile small, ¼–½ in. long, ⅕–½ in. deep, petiolate, dimidiate, broadly obliquely-oblong or rhomboid; lower margin straight or slightly hollowed, entire, upper and the rounded outer margin deeply toothed or incised; texture firm; under-surface glabrous or pubescent with scattered white hairs. Pinnules of the barren frond larger, often ​¾ in. long or more, more membranous, upper and outer margins deeply lobulate, the lobules incised. Sori numerous, placed in shallow depressions at the top of the teeth or lobules, broader than long, transversely oblong or oblong-reniform.—Hook. Sp. Fil. ii. 51, t. 86b; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 21; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 360; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 119; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 724; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 54; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 81, t. 6.
North Island: Auckland—Alluvial banks of the northern Wairoa River, from Tangiteroria to a few miles above Dargaville, T.F.C. Wellington—Manawatu River and its tributaries, from Woodville to below Palmerston North, Colenso! Enys! Field! Hamilton! &c.
Also a native of eastern Australia. Easily recognised by its large size, decompound fronds, and numerous small somewhat rigid pinnules.
5. A. affine, Willd. Sp. Plant, v. 448.—Rhizome long, creeping, stout, clothed with glossy dark chestnut-brown scales. Stipes 4–12 in. long or more, stout, erect, shining-black, rough and scaly at the very base, smooth and polished above. Fronds 6–15 in. long. 3–9 in. broad, ovate-deltoid in outline, bipinnate or tripinnate at the base, pale-green above, usually glaucous beneath, quite glabrous or the secondary rhachises pubescent above. Pinnæ 2–3 pairs with a long terminal one sometimes 6–9 in. long, in large specimens the lowest pair again branched. Pinnules ½–1 in. long, ¼–½ in. deep, petiolate, dimidiate, broadly obliquely-oblong or rhomboidal; lower margin straight, entire, base truncate; upper margin and the obtusely rounded apex deeply crenate-toothed; texture firm, subcoriaceous. Sori numerous, rather large, 6–14 to a pinnule, placed in small notches at the tips of the lobes of the upper and outer margins, not in the sinuses between the lobes. Indusium orbicular-cordate or reniform.—Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 117; Benth. Fl Austral. vii. 724, Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 53; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 80, t. 6, f. 1. A. Cunninghamii, Hook. Sp. Fil. ii. 52, t. 86a; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 21; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 360. A. formosum, A. Rich. Fl. Nouv. Zel. 88; A. Cunn. Precur. n. 208; Raoul, Choix, 38 (not of R. Br.). A. pullum. Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xxv. (1873) 319.
Kermadec Islands, North and South Islands, Stewart Island, Chatham Islands: Abundant in lowland districts throughout.
Also in Australia, according to Bentham (Fl. Austral. vii. 724). Very variable in size, the amount of branching of the frond, and in the size and shape of the pinnules. When growing on exposed rock-faces it is often dwarfed to an inch or two. Most of the Chatham Islands specimens that I have seen are less compound, with larger and coarser narrower pinnules, corresponding, I presume, with the variety Chathamicum of Mr. Field (N.Z. Ferns, 81). A curious form gathered by Mr. Hamilton on limestone crags at Moteo, near Puketapu, Hawke's Bay, has the tips of the pinnæ largely cristate, and the pinnules very irregular in shape. It is the A. Cunninghamii var. heterophyllum of Colenso (Trans. N.Z. Inst. xx. (1888) 218). States with the secondary rhachises somewhat pubescent above, and with rather narrower and more acute pinnules, seem to show a marked approach to A. fulvum.
​6. A. fulvum, Raoul, Choix de Plantes, 9.—Rhizome long, creeping, clothed with brownish subulate scales. Stipes 4–12 in. long, erect, dark reddish-brown or almost black, rough with minute projections throughout, more or less scaly towards the base. Fronds 6–15 in. long, 3–9 in. broad, ovate-deltoid in outline, 2–3-pinnate or rarely in large specimens 4-pinnate at the base, olive-green or pale-green, not glaucous beneath; rhachis and costæ more or less densely clothed above with strigose fulvous hairs. Pinnæ 2–4 pairs with a long terminal one, in small specimens not branched, in larger ones the lowest pair and sometimes all again divided, or rarely the lowest pair twice branched. Pinnules ½–¾ in. long, about ¼ in. deep, petiolate, dimidiate, obliquely oblong, often slightly falcate; lower margin curved or nearly straight, entire; upper margin almost parallel, deeply crenate; lower surface often minutely setulose with stiff fulvous hairs; texture firm but not coriaceous. Sori usually numerous in shallow notches at the tips of the lobes of the upper and outer margins, not in the sinuses between the lobes. Indusium orbicular-cordate, often pale when young.—Hook. Sp. Fil. ii. 52, t. 85a; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 22; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 361; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 120; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 54; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 81, t. 6, f. 4. A. viridescens. Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xxvii. (1895) 400.
North and South Islands: Lowland districts as far south as Banks Peninsula, not uncommon.
Very close indeed to A. affine, with which it certainly seems to me to be connected by intermediate forms. It is more copiously branched, the rhachis and costæ are clothed with strigose fulvous hairs, the stipes is minutely muricate, and the pinnules are narrower and subfalcate, and often setulose beneath. It is also found in Norfolk Island, New South Wales, and Fiji.
12. HYPOLEPIS, Bernh.
Rhizome usually wide-creeping. Fronds large, 2–3-pinnate or decompound, often glandular or tomentose; texture membranous or herbaceous. Veins forked, free, never anastomosing. Sori small, globose, distinct, placed in the sinuses of the ultimate divisions of the frond. Indusium orbicular or reniform, membranous, composed of the modified margin of the frond, reflexed over the sorus and more or less covering it. Sporangia stalked, bursting transversely, with an incomplete vertical ring.
Species 12, confined to the tropics and the south temperate zone. Of the three species found in New Zealand, two are endemic, the remaining one extends to Australia, Polynesia, and the Malay Archipelago. The genus only differs from Polypodium (as defined in the "Synopsis Filicum") by the sori being partly covered by an incurved lobule of the frond.
| Fronds (with the stipes) 2–5 ft., deltoid, tomentose, 4-pinnate. Pinnules crenate-toothed | 1. H. tenuifolia. ​ |
| Fronds (with the stipes) 9–24 in., deltoid, almost glabrous, 3-pinnate, pale-green. Pinnules deeply and sharply toothed | 2. H. millefolium. |
| Fronds (with the stipes) Fronds (with the stipes) 6–20 in., lanceolate, almost glabrous, 2-pinnate, brownish-green. Pinnules deeply toothed | 3. H. distans. |
1. H. tenuifolia, Bernh. in Schrad. Neu. Journ. Bot. ii. 34.—Rhizome long, stout, creeping, densely clothed with red-brown linear scales. Stipes 1–2 ft. high or more, strong, erect, brown or yellow-brown, slightly rough with minute points, naked or pubescent, usually scaly towards the base. Fronds 1–3 ft. long, ½–2 ft. broad, ovate-oblong to broadly deltoid, pale-green, membranous or subcoriaceous, 4-pinnatifid; primary and secondary rhachises more or less tomentose with crisped hairs, rarely glabrous. Primary pinnæ 8–20 in. long, 4–10 in. broad, ovate or ovate-lanceolate, acuminate; secondary and tertiary lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate. Ultimate divisions linear-oblong, obtuse or acute, crenate-toothed; costa and sometimes the under-surface more or less pubescent. Sori numerous, rounded, placed in the sinuses between the teeth or lobes. Indusium composed of the reflexed scale-like tip of a lobule of the frond, sometimes covering the sorus when young, often very inconspicuous when old.—Hook. Sp. Fil. ii. 60, t. 89c and 90a; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 22; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 361; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 129; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 726; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 56; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 84, t. 24, f. 3, and t. 27, f. 4; H. dicksonioides, Hook. Sp. Fil. ii. 61. Cheilanthes ambigua. A. Rich. Fl. Nouv. Zel. 84; A. Cunn. Precur. n. 211; Raoul, Choix, 38. C. arborescens, Swartz, Syn. Fil. 129, t. 336. C. pellucida, Col. in Tasmanian Journ. Nat. Sci. (1845) 13. Lonchites tenuifolia, Forst. Prodr. n. 424.
Kermadec Islands, North and South Islands, Stewart Island, Chatham Islands: Abundant throughout. Sea-level to 2000 ft.
Also in Norfolk Island, Australia, the Pacific islands, and Java. A most variable fern; in habit and general appearance often so close to Polypodium punctatum that the suspicion naturally arises that the two species may be forms of one plant, a view which is rendered more probable by the fact that the indusium is sometimes so feebly developed that the technical distinction separating Hypolepis and Polypodium is obliterated. Usually, however, Polypodium punctatum can be distinguished by the sori being further from the margin and by the glandular-viscid rhachis and costæ. Mr. Colenso's Cheilanthes pellucida, which is kept as a distinct variety in the "Species Filicum" (t. 90a), looks different at first sight on account of its stouter habit, broader and more obtuse pinnules, and more copious crisped hairs, but is connected with the type by numerous intermediates.
2. H. millefolium, Hook. Sp. Fil. ii. 68, t. 95b.—Rhizome long, slender, creeping, naked or nearly so. Stipes 3–9 in. long, rigid, erect, yellow-brown, glossy, smooth or slightly scabrous, glabrous or sparingly pilose with crisped hairs. Fronds 6–18 in. long, ​3–9 in. broad, broadly ovate or deltoid to ovate-lanceolate, pale-green when fresh, firm or almost rigid, 4-pinnatifid; rhachis and costæ more or less clothed with scattered crisped hairs. Primary and secondary pinnæ ovate-lanceolate, ascending; tertiary ⅕–⅓ in. long, ovate or oblong, cut down almost to the rhachis into several entire or sharply-toothed lobes; under-surface glabrous or slightly hairy. Sori numerous, small, roundish, placed under a small lobule in the sinuses of the pinnules. Indusium composed of the reflexed and almost unaltered tip of the lobule.—Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 23; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 361; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 130; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 56; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 85, t. 3, f. 2.
North Island: East Cape district, Bishop Williams; base of Ruapehu, H. C. Field! Mount Egmont, Buchanan, H. C. Field, T.F.C.; Ruahine Mountains, Colenso! Field; Manawatu Gorge, A. Hamilton; Tararua Mountains, W. Townson. South Island: Not uncommon in mountain districts throughout. Campbell Island, Antipodes Island, Kirk. Usually from 1500 to 4000 ft., but descends almost to sea-level in the south of Otago.
Well distinguished from any of the forms of H. tenuifolia by the finely and deeply cut pinnules.
3. H. distans, Hook. Sp. Fil. ii. 70, t. 95c.—Rhizome long, rigid, branched, clothed with red-brown linear scales. Stipes 3–9 in. long, slender, flexuous, fragile, red-brown, glossy, naked, minutely muricate. Fronds 6–15 in. long, 3–6 in. broad, ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, rigid, brownish-green or reddish-brown, 2-pinnate; rhachis slender, red-brown, glabrous or nearly so, scabrous like the stipes. Primary pinnæ 2–3 in. long, about ½ in. broad, opposite or nearly so, distant, spreading at right angles, lanceolate; secondary (pinnules) ¼ in. long, sessile, lanceolate, rigid, deeply pinnatifid. Ultimate segments ovate, spreading, toothed or incised. Sori 2–8 to a pinnule, placed in the lower sinuses. Indusium composed of the inflexed tip of a lobule, small, membranous.—Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 23; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 362; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 129; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 56; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 85, t. 28, f. 6.
North and South Islands, Chatham Islands: From the North Cape to the south of Otago, not common, usually at low elevations.
Small and slender forms of Polypodium punctatum are easily mistaken for this; but in its usual state it is a smaller and more slender plant, with more distant pinnæ, and the frond is never densely hairy or viscid-pubescent. It is confined to New Zealand.
13. CHEILANTHES, Swartz.
Rhizome short and tufted, or long and creeping. Fronds usually small, erect, 2–3-pinnate; texture subcoriaceous. Veins free, forked, not anastomosing. Sori marginal, terminating the veins, small, rounded or oblong, at first distinct, afterwards more or less confluent. Indusium roundish or oblong, consisting of a more ​or less modified tooth or lobule of the frond, reflexed over the sorus and in the young state more or less concealing it. Sporangia stalked, bursting transversely, girt by an incomplete vertical ring.
A genus of about 60 species, found in most tropical and temperate regions. It is only separated from Nothochlæna by the modified tooth or lobule of the frond reflexed over the sorus, a character which is sometimes so obscure that it is difficult to separate the two genera. The two New Zealand species are both widely distributed.
| Fronds broad, deltoid | 1. C. tenuifolia. |
| Fronds linear-oblong or linear | 2. C. Sieberi. |
1. C. tenuifolia, Swartz, Syn. Fil. 129, 332.—Rhizome very short, suberect, clothed with silky scales. Stipes 3–9 in. long, tufted, wiry, erect, dark red-brown, smooth and polished, glabrous or slightly scaly when young. Fronds 4–10 in. long, 2–4 in. broad, deltoid or ovate-deltoid, submembranous, yellowish-green, 3-pinnatifid; rhachis smooth, polished, glabrous or nearly so. Primary pinnæ 6–12 on each side, opposite or nearly so, ascending or spreading; the lowest pair sometimes 2½ in. long, deltoid; the upper smaller and narrower. Pinnules oblong or elliptic-oblong, deeply pinnatifid; ultimate segments entire or irregularly lobed or crenate; surfaces glabrous. Sori on the margins of the lobes, generally confluent and continuous all round the edge of the pinnules. Indusium narrow, elongated, usually crenate or denticulated, often transversely wrinkled.—Hook. Sp. Fil. ii. 82, t. 87c; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 138; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 726; Kirk in Trans. N.Z. Inst. vi. (1874) 248; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 57; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 86, t. 21, f. 2, 3. C. Kirkii, Armstr. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xiii. (1881) 360 (not of Hook.). C. venosa, Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xxv. (1893) 321. Pteris alpina, Field, N.Z. Ferns, 97, t. 28, f. 2.
North Island: Auckland—Mount Maunganui, near Tauranga, Mrs. Hetley! Hawke's Bay—Mohaka, E. Craig! Petane, A. Hamilton! in various localities, Colenso! Wellington—Near Wanganui, H. C. Field. South Island: Canterbury—Banks Peninsula, Lyall, Armstrong, Kirk! Otago—Mountains near Lake Wakatipu, Buchanan; Lake Wanaka, Mrs. Mason! Sea-level to 2500 ft.
Extends northwards through Australia to the Malay Archipelago, India, and China. The typical state is easily distinguished from the following species by the broad deltoid frond, but intermediates are occasionally seen.
2. C. Sieberi, Kunze in Pl. Preiss. ii. 112.—Rhizome short, stout, creeping, clothed with chestnut-brown scales. Stipes 3–9 in. long, densely tufted, erect, wiry, dark chestnut-brown, polished, glabrous or with a few fibrillose scales. Fronds 3–9 in. long, ¾–1½ in. broad, linear-oblong or linear, erect, rigid, glabrous, 2–3-pinnatifid; rhachis smooth, glossy. Primary pinnæ 3–15 opposite pairs, ascending, the lower rather remote, ¾–1½ in. long, ovate-deltoid. Pinnules oblong, deeply pinnatifid; segments entire or ​cuneate, margins much recurved when dry. Sori roundish or oblong, distinct, or ultimately confluent and continuous round the margins of the pinnules. Indusium usually elongated, narrow; margins pale, entire or minutely denticulate.—Hook. Sp. Fil. ii. 83, t. 97b; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 137; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 58; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 87, t. 21, f. 1. C. tenuifolia, A. Rich. Fl. Nouv. Zel. 83; A. Cunn. Precur. n. 210; Raoul, Choix, 38; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 23 (for the greater part, not of Swartz). C. tenuifolia var. Sieberi, Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 362. C. erecta, Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xxviii. (1896) 619.
North and South Islands: From the North Cape southwards, not uncommon in dry rocky places.
Abundant in Australia, and also found in New Caledonia and the Isle of Pines.
14. PELLÆA, Link.
Rhizome usually creeping. Fronds tufted, or scattered along the rhizome, simply pinnate in the New Zealand species, 2–3-pinnate and often palmate or pedate in others; texture subcoriaceous or membranous; veins always free but often obscure. Sori marginal, in an early stage distinct and oblong or linear-oblong, decurrent along the tips of the veins, but soon becoming confluent and forming a continuous broad or narrow marginal band. Indusium formed of the modified edge of the frond, continuous, often very narrow, at first involute over the sori, ultimately spreading, often hidden by the ripe sporangia. Sporangia stalked, with an incomplete vertical ring, bursting transversely.
About 60 species are known, found in the temperate and tropical regions of both hemispheres. One of the two New Zealand species extends as far north as India, the other is said to occur in Australia.
| Erect. Pinnæ ¾–2 in. long, lanceolate to linear-oblong | 1. P. falcata. |
| Often decumbent. Pinnæ ⅓–¾ in. long, oblong to orbicular | 2. P. rotundifolia. |
1. P. falcata, Fée Gen. Fil. 129.—Rhizome stout, creeping, scaly. Stipes 3–6 in. long, strong, erect, dark red-brown or almost black, more or less hispid with spreading scales. Fronds 12–18 in. long or more, 1½–3 in. broad, linear or linear-oblong, simply pinnate; rhachis densely scaly and bristly. Pinnæ 15–40 on a side, quite entire, alternate, shortly petiolate or the upper sessile, ¾–2 in. long, ¼–½ in. broad, lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate to linear-oblong, often slightly falcate, acute or mucronate, truncate or cuneate at the base, the lower ones slightly auriculate on the upper margin near the base; texture coriaceous; both surfaces glabrous or nearly so; veins not visible. Sori usually forming a broad continuous marginal band all round the pinnæ. Indusium very narrow, membranous, continuous.—Hook. Sp. Fil. ii. 135, t. 111b; Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 363; Hook. and Bak. Syn. ​Fil. 151; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 58; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 88, t. 18, f. 4, Pteris falcata, R. Br. Prodr. 154; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 24; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 729. P. seticaulis. Hook. Ic Plant, t. 207. Platyloma falcatum, J. Sm.
Kermadec Islands: MacGillivray, T.F.C. North Island: Auckland—In various localities from Whangaroa to the Waikato River, but rare and local. South Island: Nelson—Dun Mountain, Potts; near Nelson, D. Grant; Graham River, T.F.C.
Extends to Australia and Tasmania, the Malay Archipelago, and India. All the New Zealand specimens that I have seen have shorter and broader pinnæ than the typical state, and approach P. rotundifolia so closely as to make it probable that the two species are forms of one plant.
2. P. rotundifolia, Hook. Sp. Fil. ii. 136.—Habit of P. falcata, but smaller and more slender, and fronds often decumbent. Rhizome long, rigid, wiry, creeping, clothed with appressed scales. Stipes 3–6 in. long, dark red-brown, densely pubescent and scaly. Fronds 6–14 in. long, ¾–1½ in. broad, linear, simply pinnate; rhachis bristly and scaly throughout. Pinnæ 10–30 on each side, alternate, petiolate or the upper sessile, quite entire, ⅓–¾ in. long, ¼–½ in. broad, variable in shape, oblong or oblong-ovate to orbicular, obtuse or mucronate at the tip, rounded or obliquely truncate at the base, glabrous or nearly so, coriaceous; veins concealed. Sori forming broad marginal lines on both the upper and lower edges of the pinnæ, but not so continuous as in P. falcata. Indusia very numerous, membranous, involute when young, but soon reflexed and often concealed by the sporangia.—Fil. Exot. t. 48; Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 363; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 151; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 59; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 89, t. 14, f. 2. Pteris rotundifolia, Forst. Prodr. n. 420; A. Rich. Fl. Nouv. Zel. 78; A. Cunn. Precur. n. 198; Raoul, Choix, 38; Hook. Ic. Plant, 422; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 730. Allosurus rotundifolius, Kunze in Linnæa, xxviii. 219. Platyloma rotundifolium, J. Sm.
North and South Islands, Chatham Islands: From the North Cape to Foveaux Strait, not uncommon in dry woods. Sea-level to 2000 ft.
Also in Norfolk Island; and Bentham refers a Queensland plant to the same species.
15. PTERIS, Linn.
Rhizome usually creeping. Fronds of very various habit, generally compound, often of large size. Veins free or more or less anastomosing. Sori marginal, linear, continuous, placed on a slender connecting-vein (receptacle) running along the edge of the frond and joining the tips of the transverse veinlets. Indusium long, narrow, continuous, composed of the more or less modified and membranous margin of the frond, at first involute over the sori, at length usually spreading and exposing the sporangia. Sporangia stalked, bursting transversely, girt by an incomplete vertical ring.
Understood in the wide sense of the "Synopsis Filicum," this is a large genus of 125 species or more, almost cosmopolitan in its distribution. Two of the New Zealand species are endemic, two extend to Australia and the Pacific islands, the remaining two are very widely spread indeed.
| A. Veins free. |
| Fronds 2–8 ft. or more, deltoid, rigid, coriaceous. Segments ½-1 in. long, decurrent at the base | 1. P. aquilina. |
| Fronds 9–18 in., ovate or ovate-lanceolate, rigid, coriaceous, glandular pubescent. Segments small, 1/10–3/4 in. long, acute | 2. P. scaberula. |
| Fronds 1–3 ft., ovate or deltoid, membranous, glabrous. Segments ½–1½ in. long, obtuse | 3. P. tremula. |
| B. Veins anastomosing. |
| Fronds 2–4 ft., deltoid, dark-green, 2-pinnate or rarely 3-pinnate. Segments of the pinnules lanceolate or linear-lanceolate, 1–3 in. long, entire or toothed at the tips | 4. P. comans. |
| Fronds 1–3 ft., deltoid, pale-green, 2–4-pinnate. Pinnules often remote, stalked, ovate or deltoid, deeply lobed | 5. P. macilenta. |
| Fronds 2–4 ft., ovate-deltoid to ovate-lanceolate, glaucous, 2–3-pinnate. Pinnæ distant, sessile; pinnules oblong, obtuse, usually entire | 6. P. incisa. |
P. lomarioides, Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xiii. (1880) 380, said to have been collected near Tapuaeharuru, Taupo, is proved by the type specimen in Mr. Colenso's herbarium to be the widely distributed P. cretica, Linn. Although it is just possible that the species may exist near some of the hot springs at Taupo, where other tropical ferns, such as Gleichenia dichotoma, Nephrodium unitum and N. molle are known to grow, still, as the locality has been repeatedly searched without success, the most prudent course is to wait for further evidence before introducing the species into the Flora. The same course must be followed with respect to P. longifolia, Linn., an equally widely spread plant, stated by Mr. Buchanan (Trans. N.Z. Inst. xiv. (1882) 356) to have been gathered at Tarawera, between Napier and Taupo, but of which there are no indigenous specimens in any New Zealand herbarium.
1. P. aquilina, Linn. Sp. Plant. 1533; var. esculenta, Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 25.—Rhizome stout, as thick as the finger, creeping, much branched, often matted, subterranean, producing numerous scattered fronds. Stipes variable in length, stout, rigid, erect, brown, smooth and shining. Fronds usually from 2–6 ft. long including the stipes, but often taller and sometimes 10–12 ft., broadly deltoid in outline, coriaceous, glabrous or nearly so when mature, usually more or less rusty-pubescent when young, especially on the under-surface, 3–4-pinnate; rhachises grooved above, usually pubescent. Primary pinnæ broad, distant, spreading, the lowest pair the largest and most compound, the upper ones gradually decreasing in size; secondary and tertiary lanceolate, always terminating in a linear obtuse undivided segment. Ultimate segments linear or linear-oblong, decurrent at the base. Veins free, once or twice forked. Sori usually continuous all round the segment, and often extending to the decurrent base. Indusium double, but the ​inner one often very inconspicuous.—Hook. Sp. Fil. ii. 196, t. 141; Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 363; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 162; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 731; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 60; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 92, t. 14, f. 1, 1a. P. esculenta, Forst. Prodr. n. 418; Pl. Escul. 74; A. Rich. Fl. Nouv. Zel. 79; A. Cunn. Precur. n. 200; Raoul, Choix, 38. Pteridium aquilinum, Kuhn.
Kermadec Islands, North and South Islands, Chatham Islands, Stewart Island, Auckland and Campbell Islands: Abundant throughout, except in dense forest, often covering extensive areas, especially in the North Island. Common fern; Bracken; Rau-aruhe; Rahurahu; of the root Aruhe, Roi. Sea-level to 4000 ft.
P. aquilina, in some of its forms, is almost cosmopolitan; the variety esculenta, which chiefly differs in the decurrent bases of the pinnules, is confined to the Southern Hemisphere. The starchy rhizome formerly constituted one of the chief vegetable foods of the Maoris. For an account of the mode of its preparation, and many interesting particulars concerning its use, reference should be made to Mr. Colenso's paper "On the Vegetable Food of the Ancient New-Zealanders" (Trans. N.Z. Inst, xiii., pp. 1–38.)
2. P. scaberula, A. Rich. Fl. Nouv. Zel. 82, t. 11.—Rhizome wide-creeping, rigid, wiry, clothed with chestnut-brown scales. Stipes 4–12 in. long, rigid, erect, yellow-brown or chestnut-brown, scabrous, glandular-pubescent and usually more or less bristly. Fronds 9–18 in. high, rarely more, 4–9 in. broad, ovate or ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, rigid, coriaceous, pale yellow-green, usually copiously glandular-pubescent on both surfaces, rarely almost glabrate; rhachis scabrous, flexuous. Primary pinnaæ numerous, the lowest pair often distant, lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate, 3–9 in. long; secondary lanceolate. Ultimate divisions small, 1/10–1/4 in. long, stipitate, acute, entire or the barren ones toothed or incised, often lobed or pinnatifid at the base; veins obscure. Sori copious, when mature usually covering the whole segment except the costa and the extreme tip and base.—A. Cunn. Precur. n. 204; Raoul, Choix, 38; Hook. Sp. Fil. 174, t. 93a; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 25; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 364; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 163; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 61; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 94, t. 19, f. 5. P. microphylla, A. Cunn. Precur. n. 206; Raoul, Choix, 38. Allosurus scaberulus, Presl. Pœsia scaberula, Kuhn.
North and South Islands, Stewart Island, Chatham Islands: Abundant throughout, usually on bank-sides, or in dry open places in woods. Sea-level to 2500 ft.
Easily distinguished from the other species of the genus in New Zealand by the finely divided frond and minute coriaceous pinnules. In the North Island it quickly takes possession of the sides of road-cuttings in forest districts, often to the exclusion of other vegetation.
3. P. tremula, R. Br. Prodr. 154.—Rhizome short, stout, suberect, putting up numerous tufted erect fronds. Stipes 1–2 ft. long, stout, erect, quite glabrous, smooth and polished, bright ​chestnut-brown, darker at the base. Fronds 1–3 ft. long or more, 6–24 in. broad, ovate or ovate-deltoid, acuminate, bright-green, herbaceous, quite glabrous, 2–4-pinnate; rhachis smooth, naked. Primary pinnæ 6–12 pairs, subopposite; the lowest 6–15 in. long, ovate-lanceolate or ovate-deltoid, usually bipinnate, sometimes tripinnate; upper gradually becoming shorter and narrower and less compound; the uppermost linear, pinnate or pinnatifid. Ultimate segments ½–1½ in. long, 1/10–1/6 broad, linear or linear-oblong, obtuse, sessile and decurrent at the base; fertile usually entire or slightly crenate at the tips; barren generally broader and with the margins crenate throughout; veins free, forked. Sori copious, usually continuous on both the upper and lower edges of the segments, rarely interrupted.—Hook. Sp. Fil. ii. 174, t. 120b; Hook. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 25; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 364; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 161; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 731; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 60; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 90, t. 28, f. 2. P. affinis, A. Rich. Fl. Nouv. Zel. 81; A. Cunn. Precur. n. 201; Raoul, Choix, 38. P. tenuis, A. Cunn. Precur. n. 205. P. Kingiana, Endl. Prodr. Fl. Insl. Norfolk. 13.
Kermadec Islands, North Island: Abundant, ascending to 2500 ft. South Island: In various localities in Nelson and Marlborough, but not common; recorded from Banks Peninsula by Armstrong.
Also in Australia and Tasmania, Norfolk Island, Lord Howe Island, and Fiji. Very variable in the size and shape of the ultimate segments. P. Kingiana (var. Kingiana, Hook, and Bak. Syn. Fil. 161) sometimes has them over 1½ in. long and more than ¼ in. broad; while in P. tenuis, A. Cunn., they are very narrow, the sori occupying the whole under-surface except the costa.
4. P. comans, Forst. Prodr. n. 419.—Rhizome short, stout, sub-erect. Stipes 1–2 ft. long or more, erect, yellow-brown, polished, naked or clothed at the base with dark-brown scales. Fronds 1–4 ft. long, ½–3 ft. broad, broadly deltoid, acuminate, membranous, dark-green, quite glabrous, 2-pinnate or rarely 3-pinnate at the base; rhachis smooth, polished. Lower pinnæ in large specimens nearly 2 ft. long by 1 ft. broad and bipinnate, but usually from 9–18 in. and pinnate, shortly stalked; upper pinnæ gradually becoming shorter and narrower, oblong-lanceolate or lanceolate, regularly pinnatifid; terminal pinna 6–9 in. long, cut down almost to the rhachis. Ultimate segments variable in size and shape, 1–3 in. long, ¼–½ in. broad, lanceolate or linear-lanceolate to linear-oblong, acute or obtuse, straight or falcate, the fertile ones serrate at the tips or sinuate-serrate or sinuate-lobed, sums between the segments acute. Veins anastomosing copiously. Sori continuous, but not reaching the apex of the segments.—A. Rich. Fl. Nouv. Zel. 79; A. Cunn. Precur. n. 199; Raoul, Choix, 38; Hook. Sp. Fil. ii. 219; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 26; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 171; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 733; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 62; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 95, t. 24, f. 1. P. Endlicheriana, Aghard Sp. Pterid. 66; Hook. Ic. Plant. t. 973; Sp. Fil. ii. 218; Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 364. Litobrochia comans, Presl. Tent. Pteridogr. 66.
Kermadec Islands: Most abundant, McGillivray, T.F.C. North Island: From the Three Kings Islands and the North Cape southwards to the Bay of Plenty, usually in shaded places near the sea, plentiful on the outlying islands, rare and local on the mainland.
This is often confounded by fern-collectors with large states of P. macilenta var. pendula, but is an altogether different plant, with a coarser and stouter habit of growth, much-broader less-divided fronds, and usually long and narrow segments, with the venation more copiously anastomosing. It is also found in Australia, Tasmania, and the Pacific islands.
5. P. macilenta, A. Rich. Fl. Nouv. Zel. 82, t. 11.—Rhizome very short, suberect, clothed with the bases of the old stipites. Stipes 6–12 in. long, pale yellow-brown, becoming darker towards the base, smooth or slightly scaly below. Fronds 1–3 ft. long, 9–18 in. broad, broadly ovate or deltoid, membranous, flaccid, pale-green and glistening, quite glabrous, 2–3-pinnate; rhachis smooth, stramineous. Primary pinnæ numerous, distant, the lower ones 6–12 in. long, the upper gradually shorter; terminal pinna 1–3 in. long, acuminate, deeply pinnatifid. Secondary pinnæ stalked, those on the lower branches again pinnate, on the upper pinnatifid. Pinnules 1–2 in. long, scattered, often remote, stalked, ovate or deltoid, cuneate at the base, pinnatifid, the terminal ones adnate and decurrent. Ultimate segments oblong or ovate, deeply and coarsely toothed or incised at the apex. Veins anastomosing along the costa, free elsewhere. Sori in the notches between the segments, short, not nearly reaching the tips of the segments.—A. Cunn. Precur. n. 202; Raoul, Choix, 38; Hook. Sp. Fil. ii. 219; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 26; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 364; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 171; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 61; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 94, t. 7, f. 1. Litobrochia macilenta, Brack. Fil. U.S. Expl. Exped. 106.
Var. pendula.—Not so finely divided. Terminal pinna larger, 3–5 in. long, often caudate. Pinnules larger, 2–2½ in. long, ovate, acuminate; segments longer and narrower.—P. pendula, Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xx. (1888) 218.
North Island: Not uncommon throughout in dry woods. South Island: Nelson—Near Nelson, T.F.C; Takaka, Kingsley. Marlborough—Buchanan. Also said to occur on Banks Peninsula and near Greymouth, but I have seen no specimens.
6. P. incisa, Thunb. Fl. Cap. 733.—Rhizome long, creeping, rather slender, smooth, producing numerous scattered fronds. Stipes 1–3 ft. high or more, stout, erect, smooth and glossy, yellow-brown or red-brown when mature, often glaucous when young, naked or slightly scabrous at the base. Fronds variable in size, 2–4 ft. long, broadly deltoid or ovate-deltoid to ovate-lanceolate, membranous when young, firm in age, quite smooth and glabrous, glaucous-green, 2–3-pinnate; rhachis pale chestnut-brown, smooth and polished. Primary pinnæ large, 6–12 in. long or more, ovate-lanceolate, opposite or nearly so, rather distant, sessile, the opposite pairs often almost connate at the base, 2-pinnatifid or the uppermost ​simply pinnate. Secondary pinnæ lanceolate, deeply pinnatifid, sometimes pinnate at the base. Ultimate segments oblong or oblong-deltoid, obtuse, those of the barren fronds often sinuate-dentate or lobed. Veins sometimes all free, but usually more or less anastomosing near the costa of the pinnules. Sori continuous or interrupted, seldom reaching either the base or apex of the segment.—Hook. Sp. Fil. ii. 230; Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 364; Hook, and Bak. Syn. Fil. 172; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 732; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 62; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 96, t. 8, f. 4. P. vespertilionis, Lab. Pl. Nov. Holl. ii. 96, t. 245; Hook. f. Fl. Antarct. i. 110; Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 26. P. Brunoniana, Endl. Prodr. Fl. Insl. Norfolk. 12; A. Cunn. Precur. n. 203; Raoul, Choix, 38. P. montana. Col. in Tasmanian Journ. Nat. Sc. (1845) 12. Litobrochia incisa and L. vespertilionis, Presl. Tent. Pteridogr. 149. Histiopteris incisa, Aghard Sp. Pteridog.
North and South Islands, Stewart Island, Chatham Islands, Auckland and Campbell Islands, Antipodes Island: Abundant throughout, often forming thickets on the skins of woods, &c. Sea-level to 3000 ft.
Universally spread through the tropics and the south temperate zone. In New Zealand it attains exceptional luxuriance by the margins of hot springs in the Rotorua and Taupo districts, in some localities reaching a height of 12 ft.
16. LOMARIA, Willd.
Rhizome creeping or short and suberect, sometimes lengthened into a short caudex, rarely long and climbing. Fronds variable in size, usually simply pinnate or pinnatifid, rarely undivided, very rarely bipinnate, dimorphic; the outer fronds sterile with large and broad flat pinnæ, the inner fertile with smaller linear pinnæ. Veins free, not anastomosing. Sori linear, in a continuous elongated line occupying the whole space between the midrib and the margin. Indusium linear, membranous, composed of the more or less modified edge of the frond, at first revolute over the sorus, ultimately spreading. Sporangia stalked, girt by an incomplete vertical ring, bursting transversely.
A large genus of nearly 50 species, most abundant in the south temperate zone, but with outlying species in most temperate and tropical countries. It only differs from Blechnum in the sori being close to the margin of the frond, and is united with that genus by many pteridologists. Of the 14 species found in New Zealand 4 or perhaps 5 are endemic, 2 are widely distributed in the south temperate zone, the remainder are found either in Australia or the Pacific islands, or in both.
A. Fronds pinnate or pinnatifid, rarely simple. :
| * Sterile fronds pinnatifid (or rarely simple), central and lower pinnæ connected by their dilated bases. ||
| Fronds 1–3 ft. long, often pendulous, broad, coriaceous, sometimes simple. Pinnæ few, large, 4–12 in. long, 1–1½ in. broad | 1. L. Patersoni. |
| Fronds 1–4 ft. high, narrow, erect. Pinnæ very numerous, 1–3 in. × ¼–½ in., reddish or dirty-white beneath | 2. L. discolor. ​ |
| ** sterile fronds pinnatifid above, pinnate below, central and lower pinnæ free, but mere or less dilated at their bases. ||
| a. Pinnæ at the base of the frond not reduced in size. ||
| Fronds 4–14 in. , lanceolate-deltoid. Pinnæ 1–3 in. lanceolate or ensiform, the lowest pair often deflexed | 3. L. vulcanica. |
| b. Pinnæ gradually reduced in size towards the base of the frond. ||
| Fronds 1–3 ft. × 3–6 in., submembranous. Pinnæ 1½–3 in. × ⅓–⅔ in., lanceolate, falcate, acuminate. Pinnæ of fertile fronds 2–3 in. long. | 4. L. Norfolkiana. |
| Fronds 6–18 in. × 2–4 in., submembranous. Pinnæ 1–2 in. × ¼–½ in., oblong-lanceolate, obtuse or acute, sinuate-crenate. Pinnæ of fertile fronds ¾–1½ in., narrow-linear, acute | 5. L. lanceolata. |
| Fronds 9–30 in. × 1½–4 in., fleshy or coriaceous. Pinnæ ¾–2½ in. × ¼–½ in., linear-oblong to lanceolate, entire. Pinnæ of fertile fronds ¾–1½ in., linear-oblong, obtuse | 6. L. dura. |
| Rhizome short. Fronds 4–12 in. × ½–1 in., dark-green, coriaceous. Pinnæ ⅓–½ in. × ¼ in., oblong to suborbicular. Fertile fronds shorter than the sterile | 7. L. Banksii. |
| Rhizome creeping. Fronds 2–12 in. × ⅓–⅔ in., coriaceous to submenibranous. Pinnæ ⅕–⅓ in., ovate-oblong to linear-oblong. Fertile fronds longer than the sterile; pinnæ linear-oblong, obtuse | 8. L. alpina. |
| *** Sterile fronds pinnate, or pinnatifid above; pinnæ not dilated at their ||
| Rhizome short, thick. Fronds often very large, 1–8 ft. long. Pinnæ 3–12 in. × ½–1 in., linear, coriaceous | 9. L. capensis. |
| Rhizome very long, climbing. Sterile fronds dimorphic; lower with small rounded pinnæ; upper with long lanceolate falcate ones | 10. L. filiformis. |
| Rhizome short, suberect. Fronds 3–8 in. × 1–1½ in., blackish-green, lyrate-pinnatifid. Terminal pinnæ much longer than the lateral | 11. L. nigra. |
| Rhizome stout, suberect. Fronds 12–30 in. × ¾–1½ in., linear, membranous; rhachis and stipes bristly and scaly. Pinnæ ½–¾ in. × ¼–⅓ in., oblong to suborbicular, obtuse | 12. L. fluviatilis. |
| Rhizome short, suberect. Fronds 3–10 in. × ¾–1½ in., submembranous; stipes and rhachis naked. Pinnæ ½–¾ in., ovate-oblong to oblong, obtuse | 13. L. membranacea. |
| B. Fronds bipinnate |
| Rhizome often produced into a caudex resembling the trunk of a miniature tree-fern. Fronds 9–18 in. long, ovate, acuminate | 14. L. Fraseri. |
1. L. Patersoni, Spreng. Syst. Veg. iv. 62; var. elongata. Hook, and Bak. Syn. Fil. 174.—Rhizome short, stout, creeping, clothed with blackish-brown scales, sometimes stoloniferous; rootlets tomentose. Stipes 3–9 in. long, stout, black, scaly at the base. Sterile fronds very variable; of young plants (and occasionally of old ones) quite simple and entire, 6–12 in. long, 1–1½ in. broad; of old plants pinnatifid, 1–3 ft. long or more, 6–12 in. broad, broadly ​ovate to ovate-lanceolate, erect or pendulous, coriaceous, glabrous, dark-green above, paler beneath; rhachis winged throughout. Pinnæ 4–12 on each side, alternate, acuminate, broadly decurrent at the base, forming a rounded lobe in the sinus, quite entire; at the base of the frond there are usually several small rudimentary pinnæ sometimes extending down the stipes almost to its base. Veins numerous, close, free, forked. Fertile fronds as long as the sterile, pinnatifid; pinnæ narrow-linear, 4–10 in. long, ⅛–¼ in. broad. Sori continuous, ultimately covering the whole under-surface except the costa.—Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 64; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 98, t. 11, f. 3, 3a, 3b. L. elongata, Blume, En. Fil. Jav. ii. 201; Hook. Sp. Fil. iv. 3, t. 143; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 29; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 367. L. heterophylla. Col. in Tasmanian Journ. Nat. Sci. (1845) 15 (not of Desv.). L. Colensoi, Hook. f. Ic. Plant. t. 621, 628. Blechnum Patersoni, Metten.
North and South Islands, Stewart Island: Damp hilly forests from the Thames and Te Aroha southwards, not common; local on the east side of the South Island. Sea-level to 3000 ft.
The New Zealand variety is also found in the Pacific islands, Malaya, and India. The typical state, which differs in the fronds being usually simple, occurs in Australia, Tasmania, and the Philippines. As in most of the species of the genus, the fronds are sometimes partly fertile and partly sterile.
2. L. discolor, Willd. Sp. Plant. v. 293.—Rhizome short, stout, suberect, stoloniferous at the base, often lengthened above into a short erect caudex 1–2 ft. high, clothed at the top with the bases of the old stipites. Stipes 3–6 in. long, stout, polished, densely covered at the base with dark-brown linear scales. Fronds numerous, tufted at the top of the caudex and forming an elegant crown, erect, 1–4 ft. high; sterile linear-lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate, gradually tapering at both ends, 2–6 in. broad in the middle, coriaceous, glossy-green above, dirty-white to reddish-brown beneath, often clothed with rufous scales when young, glabrous when old, deeply pinnatifid or pinnate at the very base. Pinnæ very numerous, closely placed, horizontally spreading, 1–3 in. long, ¼–½ in. broad, linear to linear-oblong, subacute, usually connected by their broad dilated bases, margins minutely sinuate. Veins close, free, forked. Fertile fronds about as long as the sterile but narrower; pinnæ ¾–1½ in. long, linear, stout, often flexuous, usually with broad leafy bases. Sori continuous, covering the whole under-surface except the costa. Indusium with the margins much lacerated.—A. Cunn. Precur. n. 181; Raoul, Choix, 37; Hook. Sp. Fil. iii. 5; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 30; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 368; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 175; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 735; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 65; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 100, t. 4, f. 2, 2a. Stegania discolor, A. Rich. Fl. Nouv. Zel. 87. Onoclea discolor, Swartz, Syn. Fil. iii. Osmunda discolor, Forst. Prodr. n. 413. Blechnum discolor, Metten.
North and South Islands, Chatham Islands, Stewart Island, Auckland and Campbell Islands: Abundant in open forests throughout. Sea-level to 3000 ft.
Easily distinguished by the tall erect habit, long and narrow horizontally spreading pinnæ, and dirty-white or reddish under-surface. The fronds are frequently forked at the top, and a beautiful sport is in cultivation in which the pinnæ are greatly expanded in the upper two-thirds of their length, and deeply pinnatifid. Also a native of Norfolk Island, Australia, and Tasmania.
3. L. vulcanica, Blume, En. Fil. Jav. ii. 202.—Rhizome short, stout, woody, erect or inclined, densely clothed with the remains of the old stipites. Stipes 4–9 in. long, lender, pale yellow-brown, clothed towards the base with dark-brown shining subulate scales, smooth and polished above. Sterile fronds 4–14 in. long without the stipes, 2–5 in. broad at the base, lanceolate-deltoid, not narrowed below, acuminate, coriaceous, dull-green, glabrous or the surfaces and margins sprinkled with soft white hairs, pinnate at the base, pinnatifid above. Pinnæ 1–3 in. long, ¼–⅓ in. broad, spreading, lanceolate or ensiform, broadest at the base, acute or obtuse at the tip, falcate, lowest pair deflexed; margins thickened, entire or minutely crenate-undulate. Veins free, forked. Fertile fronds usually exceeding the sterile and with a longer stipes, pinnate in the lower half; pinnæ 1–2 in. long, linear, distant, with a dilated adnate base. Sori continuous; indusium with lacerate margins.—Hook. Ic. Plant. t. 969; Sp. Fil. iii. 12; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 29; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 367; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 176; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 735; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 65; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 99, t. 27, f. 5, 5a. L. deitoides, Col. in Tasmanian Journ. Nat. Sci. (1845) 17. L. deflexa, Col. l.c. 18. L. paucijuga, Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xx. (1888) 222. Blechnum vulcanicum, Christ.
North and South Islands, Stewart Island: In dry open woods from Auckland and Coromandel southwards, but often rare and local, especially to the north of the East Cape, more frequent in the subalpine forests of Nelson and Canterbury. Sea-level to 3500 ft.
A well-marked species, at once recognised by the narrow-deltoid frond, with the lowest pair of pinnæ deflexed. It extends northwards through Australia and the Pacific islands to Malaya.
4. L. Norfolkiana, Heward in Lond. Journ. Bot. (1842) 122.—Rhizome short, stout, erect or inclined, clothed with the bases of the old stipites mixed with dark-brown chaffy scales. Stipes short, stout, 2–4 in. long, scaly at the base. Sterile fronds numerous, forming a crown at the top of the rhizome, erect or spreading, 1–3 ft. high, 3–6 in. broad, lanceolate or narrow elliptic-lanceolate, gradually tapering from the middle to both ends, acuminate, dark-green, firm but scarcely coriaceous, quite glabrous, deeply pinnatifid or pinnate at the base. Pinnæ numerous, close-set, horizontally spreading, 1½–3 in. long, ⅓–⅔ in. broad, lanceolate, tapering from a broad adnate base to an acuminate point, subfalcate, the lower ones ​gradually reduced in size to minute auricles, margins crenulate; veins fine, close, forked. Fertile fronds rather shorter than the sterile, pinnate; pinnæ remote, very narrow-linear, 2–3 in. long, apiculate.—Bak. in Ann. Bot. v. (1891) 219. L. acuminata, Bak. Syn. Fil. (edit. 2) 481; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 66. L. attenuata, Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 368; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 101 (not of Willd.).
Kermadec Islands: Sunday Island, abundant, McGillivray, T.F.C. North Island: Three Kings Islands, T.F.C. Little Barrier Island, Reischek! T.F.C.
Also in Norfolk Island. It can only be distinguished from L. lanceolata by the greater size, the long acuminate sterile pinnæ, and the much longer fertile pinnæ, and might well be regarded as a variety only. On both the Three Kings Islands and the Little Barrier it appears to gradually merge into the ordinary state of L. lanceolata.
5. L. lanceolata, Spreng. Syst. Veg. iv. 62.—Rhizome short, stout, erect or inclined, rarely produced into a short caudex 3–6 in. high. Stipes 2–6 in. long, firm, erect, dark-brown at the base and clothed with subulate scales, paler and glabrous above. Fronds tufted, forming a crown at the top of the rhizome; the sterile ones 6–18 in. long, 2–4 in. broad, lanceolate, acuminate, gradually narrowed to the base, rather membranous, pale-green or dark-green, quite glabrous, pinnate below, pinnatifid above. Pinnæ numerous, close-set, horizontally spreading or ascending, 1–2 in. long, ¼–½ in. broad, lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, attached by a broad somewhat dilated base, gradually tapering to an obtuse or acute point, slightly falcate, usually sinuate-crenate towards the tip, rarely entire; veins conspicuous, free, forked. Fertile fronds usually shorter than the sterile, 1–2 in. broad, pinnate; pinnæ ¾–1½ in. long, distant, narrow-linear, acute or apiculate.—A. Cunn. Precur. n. 180; Raoul, Choix, 37; Hook. Ic. Plant. t. 429; Sp. Fil. iii. 11; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. li. 29; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 367; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 177; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 735; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 66; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 102, t. 11, f. 2, 2a. L. aggregata, Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xx. (1888) 223; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 103, t. 29, f. 7, 7a. Blechnum lanceolatum, Sturm.
North and South Islands, Chatham Islands, Stewart Island: From the North Cape southwards, abundant by the margins of streams, &c. Sea-level to 2500 ft.
Also in Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia, and the Pacific islands. A variable plant. Large specimens pass into L. Norfolkiana, and smaller ones are sometimes difficult to separate from L. membranacea.
6. L. dura, Moore in Gard. Chron. (1866) 290.—Rhizome stout, erect, clothed with the bases of the old stipites, sometimes lengthened into a short caudex. Stipes 1–2 in. long, clothed at the base with large ovate-lanceolate brownish scales. Fronds ​numerous, tufted, forming a crown at the top of the rhizome; sterile 1–2½ ft. long, 1½–4 in. broad, lanceolate, acute or acuminate, usually broadest above the middle, very gradually narrowed to the base, dark-green, fleshy or almost coriaceous, pinnatifid above, pinnate below. Pinnæ numerous, close-set, often overlapping, the largest ¾–2½ in. long, ¼–½ in. broad, variable in shape, linear-oblong to lanceolate, obtuse or acute, often falcate, attached by a broad base, the upper narrower and more acute, lowermost dwarfed to rounded auricles; margins entire, slightly thickened. Veins free, forked. Fertile fronds shorter and narrower than the sterile, 1–2½ in. broad; pinnæ numerous, close, linear-oblong, rigid, obtuse. Sori very copious, covering the whole under-surface.—Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 748; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 177; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 66; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 104, t. 10, f. 4, 4a. L. rigida, J. Sm. Ferns, Brit, and For. 290.
South Island: Banks Peninsula, Armstrong. Eastern and southern coasts of Otago, not uncommon, Petrie! Thomson, Kirk! West Coast sounds, J. D. Enys! Stewart Island and The Snares: Kirk! Chatham Islands: Abundant, Chudleigh! Buchanan! Miss Seddon! Auckland and Campbell Islands, Antipodes Island: Kirk!
A purely littoral plant, never found far from the influence of sea-spray. Easily recognised by the fleshy or coriaceous habit, the usually obtuse and entire sterile pinnæ, and by the close-set broad and rigid fertile pinnæ.
7. L. Banksii, Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 31, t. 76.—Rhizome short, stout, woody, erect or inclined, clothed with the old stipites at the top, and with matted fibres below. Stipes short, stout, dark-coloured, furnished at the base with numerous ovate-lanceolate chaffy scales. Fronds numerous; sterile 4–12 in. high, rarely more, ½–1 in. broad, linear-lanceolate, narrowed to both ends, rather coriaceous, dark-green, sometimes with a glaucous tinge, pinnatifid above, pinnate below. Pinnæ numerous, close-set, adnate by a broad base, ⅓–½ in. long, rarely more, about ¼ in. broad, broadly oblong or almost semi-orbicular, obtuse, quite entire; lower pinnæ much reduced, sometimes forming a sinuated wing down to the base of the stipes. Fertile fronds usually shorter than the sterile, pinnate throughout; pinnæ shorter and narrower, more distant, straight or curved. Sori copious, covering the whole under-surface.—Handb. N.Z. Fl. 368; Hook. Sp. Fil. iii. 17; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 178; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 67; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 105, t. 26, f. 2, 2a. Blechnum Banksii, Mettenius.
North Island: Auckland—North Cape, Buchanan; near Ahipara, T.F.C.; Bay of Islands, A. Cunningham; Little Barrier Island, Kirk! T.F.C.; Manukau Heads, Sinclair, Colonel Haultain! East Cape, Colenso! Taranaki—White Cliffs to Cape Egmont, Buchanan, T.F.C. Wellington—Wellington Heads, Field; Cape Terawiti, Kirk! South Island: Marlborough—Queen Charlotte Sound, Banks and Solander. Nelson—Cape Farewell, Kirk! West Wanganui, Kingsley. Canterbury—Banks Peninsula, ​Armstrong. Otago—Not uncommon on both the East and West Coasts, Buchanan, Petrie! Thomson, Hamilton! Stewart Island: Paterson's Inlet, Kirk.
A well-marked plant, easily recognised by the coriaceous habit and short and broad rounded pinnæ attached by a broad base. Like L. dura, it is a purely littoral plant, never found beyond the influence of the sea-spray.
8. L. alpina, Spreng. Syst. Veg. iv. 62.—Rhizome long, slender, branched, creeping, clothed with chaffy ferruginous scales. Stipes 2—6 in. long or more, slender, red-brown, smooth and polished, sparingly scaly. Fronds tufted along the rhizome; sterile shorter than the fertile, 4–18 in. long including the stipes, ⅓–⅔ in. broad, often spreading or decumbent, linear or linear-lanceolate, narrowed to the base, dark-green, pinnatifid or pinnate towards the base, texture varying from thick and coriaceous to almost membranous. Pinnæ numerous, close-set, short, spreading, ⅕–⅓ in. long, attached by a broad base, ovate-oblong or triangular-oblong to linear-oblong, obtuse, entire or obscurely crenate. Fertile fronds erect, pinnate throughout; pinnæ numerous, rather distant, shorter and narrower than the sterile, linear or linear-oblong, obtuse, spreading or deflexed or sometimes curved upwards. Sori copious, covering the whole under-surface.—Hook. Fil. Exot. t. 32; Sp. Fil. iii. 16; Hook. f. Fl. Antarct. ii. 393, t. 150; Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 30; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 368; Hook. f. Bak. Syn. Fil. 178; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 786; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 66; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 105, t. 17, f. 5, 5a. L. pumila, Raoul, Choix, 9, t. 2a; Hook. Sp. Fil. iii. 17; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 28; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 367. L. linearis. Col. in Tasmanian Journ. Nat. Sci. (1845) 16. L. parvifolia. Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xx. (1888) 224. Stegania alpina, R. Br. Prodr. 152. Blechnum alpinum, Metten. Fil. Hort. Bot. Lips. 64. Polypodium penna-marina, Poir. in Lam. Encycl. v. 520.
North and South Islands, Chatham Islands, Stewart Island, Antipodes Island, Macquarie Island: From the Upper Thames Valley and Rotorua southwards, abundant to the south of the East Cape. Sea-level to 4000 ft.
Also abundant in temperate South America, Australia, and Tasmania. Raoul's L. pumilla differs from the type in the more membranous fronds and distinctly crenate pinnæ, but is without doubt a trivial state produced by growing in an unusually sheltered and shaded locality. Specimens exactly resembling Raoul's plate can be found without any difficulty in both islands, and can generally be traced on the spot into ordinary L. alpina. I look upon it as a form too inconstant to keep up even as a variety. L. parvifolia, Col., of which I possess a type specimen forwarded by Mr. Colenso himself, is clearly the same, a view which is also taken by Mr. Baker (Ann. of Bot. v. (1891) 220).
9. L. capensis, Willd. Sp. Plant. v. 291.—Rhizome short, stout, often woody, erect or inclined, sometimes prostrate, clothed at the top with large chestnut-brown scales. Stipes stout, long or short, usually densely scaly at the base. Fronds numerous, very variable in size, usually from 1–4 ft., but in dry exposed places ​often dwarfed to a few inches, while on the sides of deep wooded ravines they are occasionally 8–10 ft. long or even more; sterile ovate or oblong-ovate to oblong-lanceolate, erect or pendulous, very coriaceous to almost membranous, bright-green to brownish-green, pinnate throughout; rhachis stout, more or less scaly, especially when young. Pinnæ often very numerous, but in small specimens and in var. minor frequently reduced to 4–6 pairs, alternate, horizontally spreading, 3–12 in. long or more, ½–1 in. broad, acute or acuminate, oblique at the base and cuneate or truncate or rounded-cordate or even auriculate, sessile by the midrib alone or the uppermost more or less adnate; margins minutely toothed; costæ more or less scaly. Veins free, close, parallel, usually forked at the base. Fertile pinnæ very narrow-linear, distant, 3–9 in. long, ⅛–¼ in. broad, usually on separate fronds, but often mixed with sterile pinnæ or the pinnæ partly fertile and partly sterile. Indusiusm broad, membranous, lacerate.—F. Muell. Veg. Chath. Is. 72; Benth. N.Z . Austral. vii. 737. L. procera, Spreng. Syst. Veg. iv. 65; A. Cunn. Precur. n. 182; Raoul, Choix, 37; Hook. Ic. Plant. t. 427, 428; Sp. Fil. iii. 22; Garden Ferns, t. 53; Hook. f. Fl. Antarct. i. 110; Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 27; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 366; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 179; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 67; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 107, t. 2, f. 1, 1a. L. latifolia. Col. in Tasmanian Journ. Nat. Sci. (1845) 15. L. duplicata, Potts in Trans. N.Z. Inst. ix. (1877) 491. Stegania procera, R. Br. Prodr. 153; A. Rich. Fl. 86, t. 13. Osmunda capensis, Linn. Mant. 306. O. procera, Forst. Prodr. n. 414. Blechnum capense, Schlecht. Adumb. Fil. 34, t. 18.
Var. a, Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 27.—Usually tall and robust. Sterile pinnæ truncate or broadly cuneate at the base.
Var. b, Hook. f. l.c.—Usually tall and robust. Sterile pinnæ cordate or auriculate at the base.
Var. c, Hook. f. l.c.—Usually tall and robust. Sterile pinnæ narrowed at the base.
Var. d, minor, Hook. f. l.c.—Smaller, 1–3 ft. high, dark olive-green; fertile fronds usually exceeding the sterile. Sterile pinnæ few, 4–8 pairs, short, broad, linear-oblong, the lowermost hardly shorter than the one above it, upper of ten adnate.—Stegania minor, R. Br. Prodr. 153.
Kermadec Islands, North and South Islands, Chatham Islands, Stewart Island, Auckland and Campbell Islands, Antipodes Island: Abundant throughout, ascending to 4000 ft.
A very widely distributed species. From Australia and Tasmania it extends northwards to Malaya, and is common in many of the Pacific islands. In America it ranges from the south of Chili northwards to Mexico and the West Indies. It is also found in South Africa. In New Zealand it occurs in all soils and situations, and, although attaining its greatest luxuriance in deep forest ravines, is plentiful in open swamps and gullies, and even not averse to bare hillsides or the clefts of rocky peaks. At first it is difficult to believe that the small forms found in exposed places, often not more than 6 in. high, with 3–4 pairs of pinnæ, can belong to the same species as the huge specimens growing on moist cliffs in shaded ravines, in which the fronds are sometimes 8–10 ft. long, with more than 40 pairs of pinnæ. But every gradation of size exists, ​and one form can be traced directly into the other. I have kept up the four varieties established by Sir J. D. Hooker in the Flora, although the first three do not seem to be separated by any well-defined characters. Var. minor is more distinct; and in some respects approaches L. vulcanica. It has a different habit and mode of growth, and may prove to be a separate species.
In nearly all the species of Lomaria the fertile fronds are sometimes irregularly mixed with sterile pinnæ, but in none is this so commonly seen as in L. capensis. Sometimes one side of the frond may be fertile and the opposite side sterile, or the sterile and fertile pinnæ may be irregularly mixed. Or sometimes the upper half of the frond may be fertile and the lower sterile, or vice versa. It is also quite common for the pinnæ themselves to be partly fertile and partly sterile. The frond is also occasionally once or twice dichotomously forked, constituting Mr. Potts's L. duplicata, and sometimes the tips of the fronds are regularly crested.
10. L. filiformis, A. Cunn. Precur. n. 183.—Rhizome long, stout, branched, climbing up trees to a great height, clothed with squarrose scales. Sterile fronds very numerous, scattered along the rhizome, pinnate throughout, of two forms; those on the ground or on the lower part of the rhizome small, 3–6 in. long, ½–1 in. broad, linear or linear-lanceolate; pinnæ ¼–½ in. long, oblong to orbicular-oblong, sharply and deeply toothed. Fronds from the upper part of the rhizome much larger, 1–2½ ft. long, 3–6 in. broad, lanceolate, pendulous, hardly coriaceous, dark-green, glabrous or more or less scaly along the rhachis and costæ; stipes short, scaly at the base. Pinnæ numerous, 1½–4 in. long, about ½ in. broad, lanceolate, falcate, narrowed upwards into a finely acuminate point, shortly stipitate and truncate or rounded or cordate at the base, margins regularly and finely crenate-dentate. Fertile fronds from near the top of the rhizome, ovate or ovate-oblong in outline; pinnæ numerous, 3–6 in. long, ⅛ in. broad, very narrow-linear or almost filiform. Indusium very narrow.—Raoul, Choix, 37; Hook. Sp. Fil. iii. 33, t. 149; Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 366; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 180; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 68; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 109, t. 10, f. 3, 3a, 3b. L. propinqua, A. Cunn. Precur. n. 184. L. pimpinellifolia. Hook. f. in Hook. Lond. Journ. Bot. iii. (1844) 412. Stenochlæna heteromorpha, J. Sm. in Hook. Lond. Journ. Bot. iv. (1845) 149; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 46; Brack. Fil. U.S. Expl. Exped. 77. Osmunda reptans. Banks and Sol. ex Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 46. Blechnum reptans, Christ.
North and South Islands: In forests from the North Cape southwards to Nelson and Marlborough, abundant. Sea-level to 2000 ft.
Also recorded from the Fiji Islands. A most distinct species, remarkable for its very long climbing rhizome and dimorphic sterile fronds.
11. L. nigra, Col. in Tasmanian Journ. Nat. Sci. (1845) 16.—Rhizome short, stout, suberect, clothed with the bases of the old stipites mixed with chaffy scales. Stipes slender, densely scaly. 1–3 in. long. Sterile fronds tufted at the top of the rhizome, spreading, 3–8 in. long, 1–1½ in. broad, linear-oblong, membranous, ​blackish-green or lurid-green, brittle when dry, glabrous or the margins and under-surface more or less clothed with short rufous hairs, lyrate-pinnatifid, pinnate at the base; rhachis usually densely pubescent. Pinnæ 4–8 pairs, unequal in size; the terminal one much the largest, 1–2 in. long, oblong, obtuse, irregularly lobed or sinuate; the lateral ¼–¾ in. long, oblong to orbictilar-oblong, irregularly sinuate, the lowest pair larger than those immediately above, and often stipitate and deflexed. Fertile fronds few, erect, pinnate; pinnæ few, distant, narrow-linear, apiculate, the terminal one elongated, the lateral much shorter.—Hook. Ic. Plant. t. 960; Sp. Fil. iii. 35; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 31; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 369; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fl. 181; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 69; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 110, t. 25, i. 4, 4a. Polybotrya nana, Fèe. Acrost. t. 38, f. 1. Blechnum nigrum, Mett.
North Island: Dark gloomy forests from Whangarei southwards, not common. South Island: Nelson—Collingwood, D. Grant; Takaka and West Wanganui, Kingsley. Westland—Abundant at low elevations, Enys! A. Hamilton! J. W. Brame! &c. Otago—Milford Sound, Bligh's Sound, Lyall, Hector and Buchanan. Sea-level to 3000 ft.
Easily recognised by the enlarged terminal portion of the frond, which is often only shallowly lobed, while the lower pinnæ are usually distinct from one another. The surface of the frond is often overgrown with mosses or hepatiæ, in the same manner as in Trichomanes elongatum.
12. L. fluviatilis, Spreng. Syst. Veg. iv. 65.—Rhizome stout, suberect, often woody, densely clothed with the bases of the old stipites and with chestnut-brown subulate scales. Stipes very short, densely scaly. Sterile fronds very numerous, forming a broad spreading crown at the top of the rhizome, 1–2½ ft. high, ¾–1½ in. broad, linear or linear-lanceolate, submembranous, pale brownish-green, pinnate throughout; rhachis densely clothed with spreading subulate scales. Pinnæ very numerous, 20–50 pairs, ½–¾ in. long, ¼–⅓ in. broad, oblong to orbicular-oblong, obtuse, not decurrent, the lower more remote and often shortly stipitate, the upper sessile, the uppermost usually adnate; margins thin, sinuate or denticulate. Fertile fronds narrow-linear, erect; pinnæ ⅓–⅔ in. long, ⅛ in. broad, linear, obtuse, erecto-patent.—Hook. Sp. Fil. iii, 34; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 28; Fl. Tasm. ii. 142, t. 167; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 366; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 181; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 736; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 69; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 109, t, 27, f, 2, 2a. L. rotundifolia, Raoul, Choix, 9, t. 23, Col. in Tasmanian Journ. Nat. Sci. (1845) 19. Stegania fluviatilis, R. Br. Prodr. 152. Blechnum fluviatile, Mett.
North and South Islands, Chatham Islands, Stewart Island: From Hokianga and Whangaroa southwards, not uncommon in damp hilly forests. Sea-level to 2500 ft.
Also in Victoria and Tasmania. A crested form is occasionally seen, and has been described by Mr. Colenso as var. ramosa (Trans. N.Z. Inst. xx. 225).
​13. L. membranacea, Col. ex Hook. Sp. Fl. iii. 34, t. 145.—Rhizome short, stout, suberect, clothed with the bases of the old stipites mixed with a few subulate scales. Stipes very short, scaly at the base. Fronds tufted at the top of the rhizome, the sterile ones 3–10 in. long, ¾–1½ in. broad, lanceolate or linear-lanceolate, acuminate, broadest above the middle, gradually narrowed to the base, rather membranous, pale-green, quite glabrous, pinnate; rhachis smooth, naked. Pinnæ numerous, spreading or erecto-patent, the longest ½–¾ in. long, about ¼ in. broad, ovate-oblong or oblong, obtuse, broadly adnate at the base but not dilated nor decurrent, coarsely dentate-serrate, the lower quite distinct at the base, gradually becoming smaller and eventually reduced to mere rounded auricles, the uppermost more or less confluent. Fertile fronds usually longer than the sterile and with longer stipites, pinnate pinnæ distant, ⅙–½ in. long, linear, apiculate.—Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 366; Hook, and Bak. Syn. Fil. 181; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 69; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 111, t. 5, f. 6, 6a. L. oligoneuron. Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvi. (1884) 346. L. intermedia, Col. l.c. xix. (1887) 274; L. pygmgæa, Col. l.c. xxv. (1893) 322. Blechnum membranaceum, Mett.
North Island: Shaded places by the banks of streams, not uncommon throughout. South Island: In various localities along the east coast from Nelson to Otago, but apparently rare and local. Sea-level to 2000 ft.
Large forms of this, with longer and narrower pinnæ rather more closely placed, are difficult to distinguish from L. lanceolata, if, indeed, the two species do not pass directly into one another. In its usual state, however, it is a much smaller plant, with shorter and broader obtuse pinnæ, distinctly separated from one another, and not dilated at the base or decurrent as in lanceolata. I have seen no specimens from Canterbury or Otago.
14. L. Fraseri, A. Cunn. Precur. n. 185.—Rhizome erect, clothed with the bases of the old stipites and with a dense tuft of dark chestnut-brown scales at the tip, often elongated into a slender caudex 6–24 in. high or more, resembling the trunk of a miniature tree-fern. Stipes 3–9 in. high, scaly towards the base. Fronds forming a spreading crown at the top of the caudex, 9–18 in. long, 3–6in. broad, ovate or ovate-oblong to ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, quite glabrous, almost membranous or sub-coriaceous, bipinnate; rhachis with a narrow interrupted wing furnished with numerous triangular lobes. Pinnæ 2–3 in. long, ⅓–⅔ in. broad, lanceolate or linear-lanceolate, acuminate, cut down almost to the rhachis. Pinnules numerous, close-set, ¼–⅓ in. long, linear-oblong, somewhat falcate, acute or apiculate, entire or serrate. Veins indistinct, simple or forked. Fertile fronds similar to the sterile, but rather smaller and with narrower pinnules. Sori covering the whole under-surface.—Raoul, Choix, 37; Hook. Ic. Plant. t. 185; Sp. Fil. iii. 40; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 31; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 369; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 182; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 70; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 111, t. 24, f. 4, 4a. Blechnum Fraseri, Metten.
North Island: Abundant in dry woods from the North Cape southwards to the Upper Waikato and Taranaki. South Island: Nelson—Massacre Bay, Lyall; West Wanganui, Kingsley; extending along the West Coast as far south as Charlestown, Kirk. Sea-level to 2000 ft.
A very handsome and distinct species, confined to New Zealand, unless a plant lately discovered in the Philippine Islands should prove to be the same.
17. DOODIA, R. Br.
Rhizome short, tufted, suberect. Fronds numerous at the top of the rhizome, erect, harsh and rigid or membranous, pinnate or pinnatifid, sometimes dimorphic. Veins forked, connected by short cross veinlets on which the sori are placed. Sori oblong or slightly curved, in one or more rows parallel to the midrib, and between it and the margin of the pinnæ. Indusium the same shape as the sorus, attached to the cross veinlet, membranous, opening towards the midrib. Sporangia stalked, surrounded by an incomplete vertical ring, bursting transversely.
A small genus of 5 species, found in New Zealand, Australia and Polynesia, and Ceylon.
| Fronds 1–2 ft., harsh, coriaceous, erect; the sterile not obviously differing from the fertile | 1. D. media. |
| Fronds ½–1 ft., submembranous; the sterile shorter and less erect, with broader obtuse pinnæ. Fertile pinnæ narrow-linear, with conspicuous auricled bases | 2. D. caudata. |
1. D. media, R. Br. Prodr. 151.—Rhizome short, stout, sub-erect, clothed with the bases of the old stipites. Stipes 3–8 in. long, more or less clothed with subulate scales towards the base, smooth or scabrous, blackish-brown. Fronds 12–18 in. long, 1½–4 in. broad, lanceolate, acuminate, coriaceous, dark-green, pinnate in the lower half or two-thirds, pinnatifid above; rhachis often pubescent. Pinnæ numerous, spreading; lateral 1–2 in. long, ⅕–⅓ in. broad, linear or linear-lanceolate, acute or obtuse, spinulose-dentate, the upper ones dilated and confluent at the base, those below the middle free but often dilated or almost auricled at the base, the lower ones gradually reduced in size; terminal pinna often elongated. Sori short, oblong, usually in one series on each side of the midrib, but sometimes portions of a second row are irregularly developed.—Hook. Sp. Fil. iii. 74; Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 370; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 190; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 70; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 112, t. 20, f. 1. D. aspera, A. Rich. Fl. Nouv. Zel. 76; A. Cunn. Precur. n. 195; Raoul, Choix, 38 (not of R. Br.). D. Kunthiana, Gaud. in Freyc. Voy. Bot. 401, t. 14; A. Cunn. Precur. n. 197; Raoul, Choix, 38.
Var. Milnei, Bak. Syn. Fil. (edit. 2) 482.—Larger; fronds 1–2 ft. long or more, 6–12 in. broad. Pinnæ closely placed, 4–6 in. long, ¼–½ in. broad, narrowed into long acuminate points, sharply dentate-serrate. Sori copious, in 2 rows on each side of the midrib.—D. Milnei, Carr. in Seem. Fl. Viti. 352. D. connexa. Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 369 (not of Kunze).
​North Island: Abundant from the North Cape to the East Cape, from thence rare and local to Cook Strait. South Island: Nelson—Port Hills, Kirk! Var. Milnei.—Kermadec Islands: Abundant, MacGillivray, T.F.C. Sea-level to 1000 ft.
Also in Australia, Norfolk Island, and the Pacific islands as far north as Hawaii. A very variable plant.
2. D. caudata, R. Br. Prodr. 151.—Rhizome short, suberect, emitting numerous black wiry rootlets. Stipes 2–4 in. long, slender, black, smooth or nearly so. Fronds numerous, densely tufted, 3–12 in. long, rarely more, ¾–2 in. broad, lanceolate, acuminate or caudate, usually membranous, pale-green, pinnate almost to the top, more or less dimorphic; sterile usually shorter than the fertile and less erect, often decumbent, sometimes almost flaccid; pinnæ oblong or linear-oblong, obtuse, sharply serrate. Fertile fronds longer, usually harsher and more rigid, erect; pinnæ ½–1½ in. long, ⅛–⅕ in. broad, narrow-linear, often attenuate, the lower ones usually conspicuously auricled at the base, the uppermost decurrent and confluent, terminal pinna usually very long, caudate. Sori in a single series on each side of the midrib.—A. Rich. Fl. Nouv. Zel. 76; A. Cunn. Precur. n. 196; Raoul, Choix, 38; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 37 (excl. syn.); Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 190; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 114, t. 20, f. 4, 4a. D. squarrosa, Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xiii. (1881) 382.
North Island: From Kaitaia southwards to Cook Strait, but local and often absent from large areas. Sea-level to 2500 ft.
Apparently a common Australian plant, ranging from Cape York to Tasmania. Some of the New Zealand forms approach very close to the preceding species; but usually it can be distinguished by the smaller size, by the sterile fronds being of a different shape and more flaccid than the fertile, and by the narrow fertile pinnæ with conspicuously auricled bases. A small variety found on the Rimutaka Range, Wellington, is said to have scented fronds, and to have been formerly collected by the Maoris for the purpose of mixing with oil to anoint the person; but I have never been able to perceive any fragrance. Perhaps Polypodium pustulatum has been mistaken for it. I have seen no authentic specimens of Colenso's D. squarrosa, and have followed Mr. Baker {Ann. Bot. v. (1891) 221) in referring it to D. caudata.
18. ASPLENIUM, Linn.
Rhizome usually short and thick, more rarely long and creeping. Fronds tufted at the top of the rhizome or scattered, stipitate, pinnate or 2–3-pinnate or decompound, simple and entire in a few species not found in New Zealand. Venation variable, free in the great mass of the species, including those found in New Zealand. Sori linear or oblong, placed upon the veins, more or less oblique with respect to the costa, remote from the margin or close to it when the frond is much divided. Indusium the same shape as the sorus, attached by its side to the vein, straight or rarely curved, flat ​or tumid, single or double (diplazioid), when single opening towards the costa or midrib, when double opening in opposite directions. Sporangia stalked, surrounded by an incomplete vertical ring, bursting transversely.
Taken in the sense of the "Synopsis Filicum" this is one of the largest genera of Ferns, containing about 350 species, distributed through both the tropical and temperate regions of the world. Of the 12 species found in New Zealand, 1 appears to be endemic, another is found elsewhere only in Australia, the remaining 10 are widely spread. The New Zealand species present exceptional difficulties to the student, on account of their extreme variability and the manner in which several of them are connected by intermediate forms. Thus A. obtusatum and A. lucidum not only run into one another, but are connected by transitional varieties with A. bulbiferum and A. flaccidum. A. Richardi almost merges into A. flaccidum on the one side and A. Hookerianum on the other, while A. bulbiferum and A. flaccidum, distinct enough in their ordinary states, are almost united by some of their aberrant varieties. With such a complex network of variation it is not surprising that the species are difficult of limitation and their characters arbitrary.
Subgenus I. Euasplenium. Veins free, simple or forked. Indusium flat or nearly so, single, not double nor diplazioid. :
| * Fronds pinnate (2-pinnate below in A. lucidum var. Lyallli). Sori remote from the margin. ||
| Fronds slender, 6–14 in., decumbent or prostrate, rooting at the naked tip. Pinnæ ¼–½ in., flabellate | 1. A. flabellifolium. |
| Fronds slender, 3–12 in., rigid, erect. Pinnæ ¼–½ in., oblong or obovoid | 2. A. Trichomanes. |
| Fronds 1–2 ft., coriaceous, not fleshy, brownish-green. Pinnæ 1½–4 in. × ½–1 in., broadly lanceolate, acuminate, deeply lobed. Veins close, distinct, flabellately divided at the base of the pinnæ | 3. A. falcatum. |
| Characters of A. falcatum but pinnæ narrow-lanceolate, caudate | 4. A. caudatum. |
| Fronds ½–1½ ft., thick and fleshy. Pinnæ ¾–1½ in., oblong, obtuse. Veins obscure, parallel | 5. A. obtusatum. |
| Fronds 1–3 ft., coriaceous, bright-green. Pinnæ 2–6 in. × ¾–2 in., oblong-lanceolate, acuminate, serrate. Veins obscure, parallel | 6. A. lucidum. |
| ** Fronds 2–3-pinnate; segments generally narrow. Sori usually one to each segment, often close to the margin. ||
| Fronds 3–12 in., erect, membranous, usually 2-pinnate. Pinnae and pinnules distinctly stipitate, the latter short, rhomboid-cuneate. Sori few, rather large | 7. A. Hookerianum. |
| Fronds 1–4 ft., oblong-lanceolate, erect or drooping, often proliferous, 2–3-pinnate. Pinnules lanceolate, ½–1½ in. long | 8. A. bulbiferum |
| Fronds 6–12 in., ovate, coriaceous, rigid, erect, 2–3-pinnate. Pinnules ovate-rhomboid, pinnatifid; segments narrow-linear, 1/12–1/8 in. long | 9. A. Richardi. |
| Fronds ½–3 ft., pendulous or erect, thick and coriaceous, pinnate or 2-pinnate. Pinnules very narrow-linear | 10. A. flaccidum. ​ | Subgenus II. Athyrium. Veins free, forked. Sori short; indusium tumid or almost cylindrical, more or less curved. | Subgenus II. Athyrium. Veins free, forked. Sori short; indusium tumid or almost cylindrical, more or less curved. |
| Fronds 1–4 ft., broadly ovate or deltoid, membranous, 2–3-pinnate | 11. A. umbrosum. |
| Subgenus III. Diplazium. Veins free, pinnately branched. Indusia linear or linear-oblong, some of them (often the lowest only) double and then opening in opposite directions. ||
| Fronds 6–12 in., ovate-lanceolate, membranous, pinnate; pinnæ 1½–3 in., deeply pinnatifid | 12. A. japonicum. |
1. A. flabellifolium, Cav. Demonstr. 257.—Rhizome short, stout, clothed at the top with blackish-brown subulate scales. Stipes 1–4 in. long, rarely more, slender, flexuous, smooth or slightly-scaly, green above, dark-brown below. Fronds few, tufted at the top of the rhizome, weak, decumbent or prostrate, rooting at the elongated and naked apex, 6–14 in. long, ½–1 in. broad, linear, membranous, flaccid, pinnate; rhachis smooth, green. Pinnae 10–25 pairs, distant, the upper becoming gradually smaller and disappearing some distance below the tip of the rhachis, very variable in size and shape, shortly stipitate, ¼–½ in. long and broad, flabellate or rhomboid-cuneate or orbicular-reniform, sometimes auricled or almost 3-lobed at the base, coarsely crenate-toothed; veins flabellate. Sori several to each pinna, oblique, linear-oblong when young, often confluent when old.—A. Cunn. Precur. n. 192; Raoul, Choix, 37; Hook. Exot. Fil. t. 208; Sp. Fil. iii. 146; Hook, f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 33; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 372; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 195; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 745; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns}}, 73; Field, N.Z. Fern}}s, 116, t. 6, f. 6.
North and South Islands: Open rocky places from the Bay of Islands to Otago, not uncommon. Sea-level to 2000 ft.
Also in temperate Australia and Tasmania. Sometimes the upper pinnæ are produced into naked tips which root like the apex of the frond. This state has been described by Mr. Colenso as var. ramosum (Trans. N.Z. Inst. xx. 228).
2. A. Trichomanes, Linn. Sp. Plant. 1540.—Rhizome short, thick, fibrous, clothed at the top with linear-subulate blackish scales. Stipes 1–4 in. long, naked, dark chestnut-brown, smooth and glossy, narrowly margined above. Fronds tufted at the top of the rhizome, rigid, erect, 3–12 in. long, ⅓–⅔ in. broad, linear, subcoriaceous, pinnate; rhachis red-brown, margined throughout. Pinnæ 15–40 pairs, spreading, sessile or nearly so, ¼–½ in. long, oblong or obovate, rounded at the tip, obliquely cuneate at the base, sometimes auricled on the upper edge, margins crenate-serrate. Veins few, indistinct, oblique, forked above the middle. Sori oblique, linear-oblong, 3–6 on each side of the pinna, often confluent when old.—Hook. Sp. Fil. iii. 136; Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. ​Fl. 371; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 196: Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 745; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 73: Field, N.Z. Ferns, 115, t. 28, f. 8. A. melanolepis, Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xx. (1888) 227.
North Island: Hawke's Bay—Kaimanawa Mountains, Captain G. Mair! Petane, A. Hamilton! Puketapu, Colenso! Taranaki—Mount Egmont, T.F.C. Wellington—Tararua Range, Buchanan. South Island: Not uncommon in mountainous localities throughout. Sea-level to 4000 ft.
Widely distributed in the temperate regions of both hemispheres and on high mountains in the tropics.
3. A. falcatum, Lam. Encycl. ii. 306.—Rhizome short, stout, creeping, more or less clothed with dark-brown scales. Stipes 6–12 in. long, dark-brown, firm, villous and paleaceous at; the base and sometimes throughout. Fronds erect or pendulous, 1–3 ft. long or more, 3–7 in. broad, linear-lanceolate or lanceolate, acuminate, coriaceous, dark-green or brownish-green above, paler beneath, glabrous or deciduously paleaceous, pinnate; rhachis bristly with linear scales or almost glabrous. Pinnæ 12–25 pairs, spreading, stipitate, 1½–4 in. long, ½–1 in. broad, lanceolate, finely acuminate, obliquely cuneate at the base, the upper edge broad and rounded or sometimes auricled, the lower edge excised, lobed or almost pinnatifid, lobes sharply incised. Veins distinct, close, erecto-patent, forked, the basal ones almost flabellate. Sori numerous, linear, obliquely diverging from the midrib, almost reaching the margin. Indusium narrow, membranous but firm.—A. Rich. Fl. Nouv. Zel. 73; A. Cunnn. Precur. n. 187; Raoul, Choix, 37; Hook. Sp. Fil. iii. 160; Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 372; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 208; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 746; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 74; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 117, t. 21, f. 5. A. polyodon, Forst. Prodr. n. 428; A. Cunn. Precur. n. 188; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 34. A. Forsterianum, Col. in Tasmanian Journ. Nat. Sci. (1845) 11.
North and South Islands, Stewart Island, Chatham Islands: From the North Cape southwards, not uncommon in woods, often pendulous from trees. Sea-level to 2000 ft.
Also abundant in many parts of tropical Asia and Africa, the Pacific islands, and Australia. Very variable in the size and shape of the pinnæ, and the extent to which they are lobed and cut.
4. A. caudatum, Forst. Prodr. n. 432.—Rhizome short, creeping, clothed with dark-brown linear scales. Stipes 6–9 in. long, densely clothed with fibrillose scales or almost naked. Frond 1–2 ft. long, 3–8 in. broad, lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, acuminate, coriaceous, dark-green, glabrous or deciduously villous, pinnate; rhachis bristly or almost glabrous. Pinnæ 15–30 pairs, spreading, stipitate, 1½–4 in. long, ½–¾ in. broad, narrow-lanceolate, narrowed into a long acuminate point, obliquely cuneate at the base, the upper edge rounded or auricled, the lower edge excised, deeply lobed or pinnatifid, sometimes more than half-way down to the midrib, lobes ​sharply incised. Veins distinct, close, oblique, forked. Sori shorter than in A. falcatum, in an oblique row close to the midrib of the pinnæ, not nearly reaching the margin.—Hook. Sp. Fil. iii. 152; Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 372; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 209; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 75; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 118.
Kermadec Islands: Sunday Island, not uncommon, MacGillivray, T.F.C.
A widely spread plant, found in most tropical regions. Doubtfully distinct from A. falcatum, from which it chiefly differs in the narrower and more caudate pinnæ and shorter sori.
5. A. obtusatum, Forst. Prodr. n. 430.—Rhizome short, thick, often forming a hard rounded mass, densely clothed with large brown shining ovate-lanceolate scales. Stipes 2–6 in. long, erect, very stout, almost fleshy, greyish-green, densely scaly at the base. Fronds 2–12 in. long without the stipes, 1–3 in. broad, linear-oblongs acute, very thick and coriaceous or almost cartilaginous, glabrous or slightly paleaceous when young, pinnate; rhachis broad, often margined, channelled above. Pinnæ 6–20 pairs, close-set, often overlapping, shortly stipitate, ¾–1½ in. long, ⅓–¾ in. broad, oblong or linear-oblong, obtuse and rounded at the apex, the terminal pinna alone acute, obliquely truncate-cuneate at the base; margins thick and cartilaginous, crenate-serrate. Veins obscure, simple or forked. Sori oblique to the midrib, usually copious, short, linear-oblong or linear, not reaching the margin.—A. Cunn. Precur. n. 191; Raoul, Choix, 37; Hook. and Jacq. Voy. au Pôle Sud, Crypt. t. 1, f. b, small specimen; Hook. Sp. Fil. iii. 96; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 33; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 371; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 207; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 747; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 73; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 118 excl. all varieties quoted.
Kermadec Islands: Abundant on maritime rocks, MacGillivray, T.F.C. Miss Shakespear! North and South Islands: On maritime rocks and outlying islands from the Three Kings Islands and the North Cape to Foveaux Strait, but often local or absent from wide stretches of the coast. Chatham Islands, Stewart Island, Auckland and Campbell Islands, Antipodes Island: Apparently not uncommon near the sea.
A. obtusatum is here restricted to Forster's original plant, which appears to be purely littoral. It has a wide range outside New Zealand, being found in Australia and Tasmania, several of the Pacific islands, Juan Fernandez, the coasts of extra-tropical South America, Tristan d'Acunha, and Possession Island.
6. A. lucidum, Forst. Prodr. n. 427.—Rhizome short, stout, often forming a hard and woody rounded caudex, clothed at the top with large brown shining ovate-acuminate scales. Stipes 6–18 in. long, stout, terete or compressed, densely scaly at the base. Fronds 1–3 ft. long without the stipes, 6–14 in. broad, erect or pendulous, lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, acuminate, dark-green and glossy, herbaceous or subcoriaceous, glabrous or slightly paleaceous beneath, pinnate; rhachis terete or compressed. Pinnæ ​6–20 pairs, remote or rather close, stipitate, 2–6 in. long, ¾–2 in. broad, lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate or elliptic-ovate, usually narrowed into a long acuminate point, often caudate, obliquely cuneate at the base, the upper edge rounded, the lower cut away; margins somewhat thickened, sinuate-serrate; veins usually evident, forked. Sori oblique to the midrib, very numerous, close, linear-elongate.—A. Cunn. Precur. n. 189; Raoul, Choix, 37; Hook. Sp. Fil. iii. 98; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 33; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 371. A. obtusatum var. lucidum, Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 207; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 747; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 74; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 119, t. 13, f. 6.
Var. obliquum, Moore, Ind. Fil. 142.—Fronds smaller and more coriaceous, 12–18 in. long. Pinnæ more closely placed, 1–3 in. long, oblong-lanceolate, acute but not acuminate. Sori shorter. Approaches A. obtusatum.— A. obliquum, Forst. Prodr. n. 429. A. apice-dentatum, Homb. and Jacq. Voy. au Pôle Sud, Crypt. t. 1a, and A. obtusatum, t. 1b, large specimen. A. obtusatum var. obliquum. Hook. f. Fl. Antarct. i. 108; Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 33; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 871; Hook. Sp. Fil. iii. 96; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 207.
Var. scleroprium, Moore, Ind. Fil. 142.—Fronds fleshy and coriaceous, 12–18 in. high or more. Pinnæ closely placed, 2–4 in. long, about ½ in. broad, linear-lanceolate, caudate-acuminate, closely and deeply serrate or pinnatifid, sometimes more than half-way down to the midrib. Sori linear, extending into the segments or teeth, and marginal to them. A transition form to A. flaccidum.—A. scleroprium, Homb. and Jacq. Voy. au Pôle Sud, Crypt. t. 1d; Hook. f. Fl. Antarct. i. 109; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 371; Hook. Sp. Fil. iii. 97. A. flaccidum var. aucklandicum. Hook. f. Fl. Antarct. i. 109.
Var. Lyallii, Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 33, t. 77.—Size and habit of the type; but the inferior pinnæ lanceolate-deltoid, cut down to the rhachis in the lower part into distinctly stipitate piunules; intermediate pinnæ more or less deeply lobed, especially on the upper margin, lobes crenate.—Handb. N.Z. Fl. 371; Hook. Sp. Fil. iii. 99. A. Lyallii, Moore, Ind. Fil. 143.
Var. anomodum, Cheesem.—Fronds small, 2–12 in. long including the stipes, pale-green, almost membranous or coriaceous, more or less paleaceous beneath. Pinnæ 3–8 pairs with a large terminal one, ½–2 in. long, oblong-lanceolate to oblong or oblong-ovate or broadly ovate, obtuse or acute, crenate, or the lower ones more or less deeply pinnatifld with the segments crenate. Sori short, linear-oblong.—A. anomodum. Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xv. (1883) 309.
Kermadec Islands, North and South Islands, Chatham Islands, Stewart Island, Auckland and Campbell Islands, Antipodes Island: The typical form widely distributed in lowland districts as far south as Stewart Island. Var. obliquum from the North Cape to Campbell Island. Var. scleroprium: Herekopere Island (near Stewart Island), Kirk! Auckland and Campbell Islands, plentiful, Hombron and Jacquinot, Hooker! Kirk! Var. Lyallii: In various localities from the Bay of Islands (Miss Clarke!) to Otago, but rare and local, and always in small quantity. Chatham Islands, Field, Miss Seddon! Var. anomodium: Usually in limestone districts. Hawke's Bay—Petane, A. Hamilton! Te Aute, C. P. Winkelmann! Norsewood, Colenso! Takapau, J. Stewart. Nelson—Wangapeka Valley and Mount Arthur Plateau, ascending to nearly 4000 ft., T.F.C.
​In the "Synopsis Filicum" A. lucidum, together with A. obliquum, is reduced to the position of a variety of A. obtusatum. This view has since been accepted by most pteridologists, mainly, I presume, on account of the undoubted fact that the three plants are more or less connected by transitional forms. But var. scleropritum also connects A. lucidum with A. flaccidum, while var. Lyallii offers a passage to A. bulbiferum, so that by parity of reasoning these two species should be included. This reduction was actually proposed by the late Baron Mueller in his Chatham Islands Florula (p. 66), but has found no followers. As arbitrary distinctions must in any case be employed, and as the differences between the typical A. lucidum and A. obtusatum are quite as well marked as those between several species of Asplenium universally admitted, I have retained both species in this work. A. obliquum has generally been placed with A. obtusatum but its position is really a matter of taste, and to me it seems to fall more naturally under A. lucidum.
In addition to New Zealand, A. lucidum is found in Norfolk Island, Lord Howe Island, Australia, and some of the Polynesian islands.
7. A. Hookerianum, Col. in Tasmanian Journ. Nat. Sci. (1845) 9.—Rhizome short, stout, rounded, emitting numerous fibrous roots, clothed at the top with subulate-lanceolate brownish scales. Stipes 1–4 in. long or more, greenish or greenish-grey, more or less clothed with deciduous scales, becoming almost glabrous when old. Fronds tufted at the top of the rhizome, spreading, 2–10 in. long without the stipes, 1–4 in. broad, oblong-lanceolate to broadly ovate or ovate-deltoid, acuminate, dark-green, herbaceous or almost membranous, pinnate or bipinnate; rhachis and under-surface more or less scaly. Pinnæ 4–12 pairs, the largest 1–3 in. long, distinctly stipitate, pinnate, or in small specimens pinnatifid or deeply lobed. Pinnules rather remote, on long slender petioles, usually rounded or rhomboid with a cuneate base, more rarely narrower and cuneate-oblong, irregularly toothed or lobed or even pinnatifid, rarely again pinnate. Veins subflabellate, forked. Sori 2–5 on a pinnule, short, oblong, remote from the margin.—Hook. Sp. Fil. iii. 194; Moore, Ind. Fil. 136; Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 372; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 213; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 747; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 75; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 120, t. 16, f. 4a. A. adiantoides, Raoul, Choix 10, t. 1. (not of Raddi). A. adiantoides var. minus. Hook. f. Ic. Plant. t. 983. A. adiantoides var. Hookerianum, Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 35. A. Raoulii var. minus, Mett. Aspl. 118. A. ornatum. Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xxii. (1890) 452.
Var. Colensoi, Moore, Ind. Fil. 137.—Fronds pale-green, usually flaccid. Pinnules on shorter stalks, deeply and finely pinnatifid; segments linear, each with a single vein. Sori oblong, solitary on the margin of the segments.—Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. .373; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 75; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 120, t. 27, f. 1. A. Colensoi, Hook. f. in Land. Journ. Bot. iii. (1844) 26; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 219. A. adiantoides var. Colensoi, Hook. f. Ic. Plant. t. 984; Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 35. A. Richardi var. Colensoi, Hook. Sp. Fil. iii. 197.
​A variable little plant, said to be found also in New South Wales and Victoria, but I have seen no specimens from thence. Var. Colensoi was placed with A. Richardi by Sir W. J. Hooker, and is retained as a distinct species by Mr. Baker in the "Synopsis Filicum." But, as stated by Mr. Field (N.Z. Ferns, 120), it often grows intermixed with the type, and occasionally the fronds of both forms can be found on the same plant. Mr. Colenso's A. ornatum is simply a state with the pinnules rather narrower than usual, and on longer stalks.
8. A. bulbiferum, Forst. Prodr. n. 433.—Rhizome short, stout, erect or oblique, crowned with linear-subulate scales. Stipes 4–12 in. long or more, compressed or semiterete, usually dark-brown and densely scaly at the base, above green or greyish-green and either naked or deciduously scaly. Fronds 1–4 ft. long, 6–12 in. broad, ovate-lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, acuminate, bright-green, scarcely membranous but flaccid, 2–3-pinnate or in small specimens pinnate; rhachis compressed, often scaly when young. Primary pinnæ numerous, horizontal, 3–6 in. long, 1–1½ in. broad, lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, often proliferous on the upper surface, cut down to a narrowly winged rhachis into numerous secondary divisions or pinnules. Pinnules ½–1½ in. long, lanceolate to ovate-oblong, deeply pinnatifid; ultimate segments linear-oblong, entire or toothed. Sori short, oblique, oblong, on the disc of the shortly lobed pinnules, but often marginal on the segments of the more deeply divided ones.—A. Rich. Fl. Nouv. Zel. 16; A. Cunn. Precur. n. 193; Raoul, Choix, 38; Hook. Ic. Plant. t. 423; Sp. Fil. iii. 196; Homb. and Jacq. Voy. au Pôle Sud, Crypt. t. 3, f. 1; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 34; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 373; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 218; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 748; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 75; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 121, t. 6, f. 5.
Var. laxum, Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 34.—Fronds smaller and more slender, with narrower and more remote pinnæ. Pinnules more deeply divided; segments narrow-linear. Sori often marginal.— Handb. N.Z. Fl. 373; Hook. Sp. Fil. iii. 196; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 218. A. laxum, R. Br. Prodr. 151; Homb. and Jacq. Voy. au Pôle Sud, Crypt, t. 3, f. J. A. gracillimum, Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xxii. (1890) 453. (?)A. triste, Raoul, Choix, 10.
Var. tripinnatum, Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 34.—Fronds ample, tripinnate, with narrow pinnules and segments resembling some forms of A. flaccidum, but more compound and texture thinner. Sori marginal on the segments.—Handb. N.Z. Fl. 373; Hook. Sp. Fil. iii. 196. A. tremulum, Homb. and Jacq. Voy. au Pôle Sud, Crypt, t. 3 bis.
North and South Islands, Chatham Islands, Stewart Island, Antipodes Island: Abundant throughout, especially in damp woods. Moku. Sea-level to 3000 ft.
The typical state of A. bulbiferum is a well-known plant throughout the whole of New Zealand, and is at once distinguished from the other species of the genus by the ample dark-green bipinnate fronds with comparatively broad pinnules, and especially by its habit of producing small bulbils on the upper surface of the frond, which develop into young plants while still attached to the frond. When the bulbils are not developed, and the frond is more slender, with narrower and more deeply divided pinnules, so that the sori are often almost marginal, the plant becomes var. laxum. This runs into several small ​states not clearly separable, one of which is the A. triste of Raoul, and another Colenso's A. gracillimum. Var. tripinnatum has still narrower pinnules, deeply cut into narrow-linear segments, and the sori are quite marginal. It approaches very close to some states of A. flaccidum, but the frond is broader and more decompound, and the texture is thinner. In addition to the above varieties there are a large number of puzzling forms, which apparently connect the species with A. falcatum, A. lucidum var. Lyallii, A. lucidum var. scleroprium, A. Hookerianum, A. Richardi, and A. fiaccidum. In Stewart Island, passage forms into A. scleroprium and A. flaccidum are particularly abundant, and it is often difficult to decide to which species they should be referred. It would occupy many pages to characterize these, and I doubt whether it is possible to define them in language sufficiently precise to enable them to be recognised with certainty.
A. bulbiferum in some of its forms is also found in Australia and Tasmania, many of the Pacific islands, Malaya, North India, South Africa, Mexico, and Central America.
9. A. Richardi, Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 35.—Rhizome short, stout, usually forming a rounded knot-like caudex, lothed at the top with dark-brown subulate scales. Stipes tufted at the top of the rhizome, 2–6 in. long, stout, rigid, erect, greenish, usually clothed with linear scales, rarely almost glabrous. Fronds 3–9 in. long without the stipes, 1–4 in. broad, ovate or ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, dark-green, varying from almost membranous to coriaceous, somewhat rigid, 2–3-pinnate; rhachis smooth or bristly. Primary pinnæ 8–12 pairs, rather close, stipitate, ½–2 in. long, ovate-lanceolate to ovate; secondary crowded, often overlapping, ovate-rhomboid, pinnatifid or again pinnate. Ultimate segments 1/12–1/8 in. long, narrow-linear, obtuse or acute or mucronate, each with a single vein. Sori short, broad, oblong, on the margins of the segments.—Handb. N.Z. Fl. 373; Hook. Sp. Fil. iii. 197, excl. var. Colensoi; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 222; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 76; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 124, t. 28, f. 5. A. adiantoides var. Richardi, Hook. f. Ic. Plant. t. 977. A. Raoulii var. Richardi, Metten. Aspl. 118. A. symmetricum. Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xxxi. (1899) 264.
North Island: Tararua Range, Buchanan, H. G. Field. South Island: Not uncommon in hilly and mountainous districts throughout. Sea-level to 4000 ft.
A very puzzling plant. Small states with membranous fronds appear to pass directly into A. Hookerianum var. Colensoi, while larger and more coriaceous forms only differ from erect states of A. flaccidum in the more finely cut fronds and smaller segments.
10. A. flaccidum, Forst. Prodr. n. 426.—Rhizome short, stout, erect, clothed at the top with copious dark-brown subulate-lanceolate scales. Stipites tufted at the top of the rhizome, usually rather short, compressed or angled, greenish, scaly at the base, naked above. Fronds very variable in size and shape, 3 in. to 3 ft. long or more, 2–9 in. broad, the long-fronded varieties lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, the shorter ones ovate or broadly ovate, acuminate, thick and coriaceous, flaccid and pendulous or rigid and ​erect, pale-green, quite glabrous, pinnate or bipinnate. Pinnæ remote or rather close, 2–10 in. long, ¼–¾ in. broad, in the pendulous varieties narrow-linear to lanceolate, but in the small erect forms often much broader, acuminate or caudate, usually cut down to a narrowly winged rhachis into erecio-patent straight or incurved linear-oblong obtuse or acute lobes ¼–⅔ in. long; or more rarely the pinnæ are again pinnate at the base, with the secondary divisions lobed or pinnatifid. Veins indistinct, a single one to each lobe. Sori oblong, usually on the margins of the lobes, rarely on the disc of the pinnæ.—Hook. Sp. Fil. iii. 205; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 35; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 374; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 222; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 749; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 76; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 123, t. 12, f. 2. A. heterophyllum, A. Rich. Fl. Nouv. Zel. 74. Cœnopteris flaccida, Thunb. Nov. Act. Petrop. ix. 158; A. Cunn. Precur. n. 194; Raoul, Choix, 38. C. novæ-zealandiæ. Spreng. Crypt. 115; Raoul, Choix 38. Darea flaccida, Willd. Sp. Plant. v. 296.
Var. Shuttleworthianum.—Fronds broader and much more compound, 1–2 ft. long, 4–10 in. broad, ovate-oblong, acuminate, very coriaceous, dark-green, 3–4-pinnatifid; ultimate segments linear-spathulate; sori short, oblong, quite marginal.—Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 374. A. Shuttleworthianum, Kunze in Schkr. Fil. Suppl. 26, t. 14; Hook. Sp. Fil. iii. 210.
Kermadec Islands, North and South Islands, Stewart Island, Chatham Islands, Auckland Islands: Abundant throughout. Sea-level to 3500 ft. Var. Shuttleworthianum: Kermadec Islands, abundant, MacGillivray, T.F.C.
Also found in Australia and Tasmania, in several of the Pacific islands, and said to have been gathered in South Africa. In New Zealand it varies excessively, the varieties depending to a large extent on the nature of their habitat, specimens growing on trees in damp forests being long and narrow and pendulous, while those found on exposed rocks are broad, rigid, and erect. Sir J. D. Hooker makes 5 varieties in the Handbook, exclusive of var. Shuttleworthianum, but they are so intimately connected by intermediate forms that it is difficult to provide them with satisfactory definitions.
11. A. umbrosum, J. Sm. in Hook. Lond. Journ. Bot. iv. (1845) 174.—Rhizome short, stout. Stipes 1–2 ft. long, stout, erect, scaly towards the base, smooth and naked above, brownish-green. Fronds variable in size, 1–4 ft. long without the stipes, 9 in. to 3 ft. broad, broadly ovate or deltoid, spreading, often drooping towards the tip, pale-green, membranous, flaccid, 2–3-pinnate; rhachis slender, flexuous, naked. Primary pinnæ rather distant, 6–18 in. long, ovate-lanceolate to oblong-ovate, acute or acuminate; secondary 1–2 in. long, lanceolate, deeply pinnatifid or again pinnate. Ultimate segments ¼–½ in. long, oblong or oblong-lanceolate, acute, sessile and decurrent, usually deeply incisocrenate; veins pinnate, simple or forked. Sori copious, usually about 5–6 to each pinnule, short, oblong. Indusium large, tumid, membranous.—Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 229; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 749; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 77; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 125, t. 5, f. 2. A. australe, Brack. Fil. U.S. Expl. ​Exped. 173; Hook. Sp. Fil. iii. 232; Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 374. A. Brownii, J. Sm. ex Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 36; Hook. Ic. Plant. t. 978. Athyrium umbrosum, Presl. Pterid. 98. A. australe, Presl. l.c. Allantodia australis, R. Br. Prodr. 149. A. tenera, R. Br. l.c.; A. Cunn. Precur. n. 186 Raoul, Choix, 37.
North Island: Not uncommon from the Bay of Islands to the East Cape and Taranaki, from thence somewhat rare and local to Cook Strait, usually on calcareous or alluvial soils. South Island: Nelson—Travers; near Foxhill, T. F. C.; West Wanganui, Kingsley. Sea-level to 1800 ft.
Also found in Australia and Tasmania, the Malay Archipelago, India, tropical Africa to the Canary Islands, the Azores, and Madeira.
12. A. japonicum, Thunb. Fl. Jap. 334.—Rhizome long, slender, creeping, branched, densely scaly at the tip. Stipes 3–9 in. long, slender, pale-brown or straw-coloured, scaly when young, especially near the base. Fronds 6–12 in. long without the stipes, 2½–5 in. broad, ovate-lanceolate, long-acumiuate, pale-green, thin and membranous, glabrous on both surfaces or sprinkled with a few weak hairs, pinnate below, pinnatifid towards the apex; rhachis slender, slightly scaly. Pinnæ spreading, rather distant, 1½–3 in. long, lanceolate, acuminate, deeply pinnatifid; lobes about ⅓ in. long, close, oblong, obtuse, slightly toothed or nearly entire. Veins pinnate in the lobes; veinlets 4–6 on each side, simple or forked. Sori linear-oblong, usually occupying all the veinlets, reaching two-thirds of the distance from the midrib to the margin, the lowest one in each lobe usually diplazioid.—Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 234; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 750; Cheesem. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xxii. (1890) 448. A. Schkuhrii, Hook. Sp. Fil. iii. 251. Diplazium congruum, Brack. Fil. U.S. Expl. Exped. 141, t. 18; Cheesem. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xx. (1888) 178.
Kermadec Islands: Ravines on Sunday Island, not common, T.F.C. North Island: Auckland—Banks of the Awanui River (near Kaitaia), R. H. Matthews! R. Carse! Okura River (Bay of Islands), Miss Clarke! Northern Wairoa River, G. E. Smith!
This appears to be a widely distributed species, ranging through Polynesia to the Malay Archipelago, India, China, and Japan. It is possible that Mr. Kirk's A. umbrosum var. tenuifolium (Trans. N.Z. Inst. xxiii. 424), of which I have seen no specimens, may be identical with it.
19. ASPIDIUM, Swartz
Rhizome short and erect or ascending, or long and creeping. Fronds tufted at the top of the rhizome or more or less distant along it, very variable in size cutting and venation, 2–3-pinnate or pinnate, coriaceous, more rarely submembranous; veins free in all the New Zealand species. Sori globose, dorsal, placed on the back or at the tip of a vein, or at the junction of two veins. Indusium ​orbicular, attached by a central stalk, flat or convex, membranous, concealing the sorus when young. Sporangia stalked, bursting transversely, girt by an incomplete vertical ring.
A genus of about 70 species, found in most parts of the world. The New Zealand species all belong to the subgenus Polystichum, characterized by the free veins, coriaceous habit, and usually sharply toothed segments. Of the 7 species enumerated in this work, 3 are very widely distributed, 1 is American and antarctic, another extends to Fiji, the remaining 2 are endemic.
A. Rhizome short, stout, erect. Fronds tufted at the top of the rhizome. :
| Fronds 1–3 ft., oblong-lanceolate, coriaceous, narrowed below, 2-pinnate; segments sharply toothed. Stipes shaggy with large dark scales mixed with hairs | 1. A. aculeatum |
| Fronds 4–8in., oblong-lanceolate, coriaceous, pinnate; segments obtusely toothed. Stipes clothed with blackish-brown scales | 2. A. mohrioides. |
| Fronds 9–18 in., ovate-deltoid, rigid and coriaceous, not narrowed below, 1–2 pinnate; segments sharply toothed. Stipes clothed with narrow black scales | 3. A. Richardi. |
| Fronds 10–20 in., ovate-obloug, coriaceous, not narrowed below, 2-3 pinnate; segments obtusely toothed. Stipes clothed with large black scales margined with white. Indusium with a large black disc | 4. A. oculatum. |
| Fronds 4–12 in., oblong-lanceolate, soft and flaccid, 2-pinnate. Stipes clothed with large pale membranous scales. Indusium large, very convex | 5. A. cystostegia. |
| B. Rhizome long, creeping. Fronds distant along the rhizome. ||
| Fronds 1–3 ft., deltoid, 2–3-pinnate. Ultimate segments obtusely lobed or toothed | 6. A. capense. |
| Fronds 1–3 ft., deltoid, 2–3-pinnate. Ultimate segments with aristate teeth or lobes | 7. A. aristatum. |
1. A. aculeatum, Swartz in Schrad. Journ. ii. (1800) 37; var. vestitum, Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 375.—Rhizome short, stout, erect or ascending, sometimes produced into an erect caudex 1–4 ft. high. Stipes 6–18 in. long, stout, erect, densely clothed with spreading scales; many of the scales large, over 1 in. long, ovate-lanceolate or subulate-lanceolate, long-acuminate, lacerate, straight or curved, glossy, black or dark-brown with a pale margin; others bristle-like or woolly, pale-ferruginous or tawny. Fronds numerous, forming a spreading crown at the top of the caudex, 1–3 ft. long without the stipes, 4–9 in. broad, oblong-lanceolate or linear-oblong, acute or acuminate, narrowed towards the base, rather coriaceous, dark-green, glabrous above when mature, under-surface more or less fibrillose, bipinnate; rhachis usually densely scaly like the stipes, but sometimes the broader scales are wanting. Primary pinnæ numerous, close-set, horizontally spreading, 2–5 in. long, ½–1 in. broad, linear-lanceolate or lanceolate, acuminate. Pinnules numerous, close, shortly stipitate, ovate-rhomboidal, unequal-sided, more or less auricled on the upper side near the base, toothed or lobed or pinnatifid, the lobes acute or pungent. Sori 6–8 to a ​pinnule, in 2 rows nearer the midrib than the margin. Indusium rather small, flat, orbicular.—Hook. Sp. Fil. iv. 22; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 252; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 78; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 126, t. 8, f. 2. A. vestitum, Swartz, Syn. Fil. 53, 254; A. Rich. Fl. Nouv. Zel. 68; A. Cunn. Precur. n. 218; Raoul, Choix, 38. A. proliferum, R. Br. Prodr. 147; A. Rich. Fl. Nouv. Zel. 69; A Cunn. Precur. n. 220. A. pulcherrimum and A. Waikarense, Col. in Tasmanian Journ. Nat. Sci. (1845) 6, 7. A. perelegans and A. zerophyilum, Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xxix. (1897) 416, 418. Polystichum vestitum, Presl. Pteridogr. 177; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 38; Homb. and Jacq. Voy. au Pôle Sud, Crypt. t. 4, f. S. P. venustum, Homb. and Jacq. l.c. t. 5, f. N.; Hook. f. Fl. Antarct. i. 106. Polypodium vestitum, Forst. Prodr. n. 445.
Var. sylvaticum.— Smaller and much more slender. Fronds few, 12–24 in. long including the stipes, not so coriaceous. Pinnæ fewer, more remote; pinnules more distinctly stipitate, narrower, ovate-lanceolate, pinnatifid; segments spinulose. Sori 6–8 to a pinnule; indusium not developed. Polypodium sylvaticum. Col. in Tasmanian Journ. Nat. Sci. (1845) 3; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 41, t. 81; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 380; Hook. Sp. Fil. iv. 249.
North and South Islands, Chatham Islands, Stewart Island, Auckland and Campbell Islands, Antipodes Island, Macquarie Island: Rather local from Cape Colville to the East Cape, not uncommon in hilly districts from thence to Wellington, abundant to the south of Cook Strait. Sea-level to 3500 ft.
A. aculeatum, in some of its forms, is found in almost all parts of the world. The New Zealand variety, which is mainly distinguished by the copious large dark-coloured scales, which usually clothe not only the stipes but also the rhachis up to its tip, is also found in Australia, Tasmania, and Fuegia. It varies greatly in the size, shape, and texture of the frond, in the shape of the pinnules and the extent to which they are toothed or lobed, and in many other respects. The fronds are often bifid or crested at the tip, and are sometimes proliferous.
2. A. mohrioides, Bory. Voy. Duper. Crypt. 267, t. 35.—Rhizome short, stout, erect or oblique, densely clothed with blackish-brown glossy scales. Stipes stout, 2–6 in. long, more or less densely scaly. Fronds tufted at the top of the rhizome, 4–8 in. long, 1–3 in. broad, oblong-lanceolate, subacute, coriaceous, pinnate; rhachis stout, compressed, scaly. Pinnæ numerous, close-set and often imbricating, ¾–1½ in. long, ovate or ovate-lanceolate, pinnatifid above, pinnate toward the base. Pinnules about ¼ in. long, ovate or ovate-oblong, obtuse, slightly toothed; teeth obtuse or shortly mucronate. Sori copious, in 2 rows in the pinnules, often confluent when old. Indusium orbicular, dark-brown.—Hook. f. Fl. Antarct. ii. 392, t. 149; Hook. Sp. Fil. iv. 26; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 252; Kirk in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xiv. (1882) 386.
Auckland Islands: Kirk.
I have seen no specimens of this from the New Zealand area, and Mr. Kirk's notice in the Trans. N.Z. Inst., quoted above, is the only authority for including the species in the Flora. But as it occurs in Chili, Fuegia, the Falkland Islands, Prince Edward Island, and Marion Island, its existence in the Auckland and Campbell Islands may naturally be expected.
​3. A. Richardi, Hook. Sp. Fil. iv. 23, t. 222.—Rhizome short, thick, densely clothed with linear-subulate dark-brown or blackish scales. Stipes 6–18 in. long, stout, erect, more or less clothed with rigid black subulate deciduous scales mixed with woolly hairs. Fronds few, tufted at the top of the rhizome, 9–18 in. long or more without the stipes, 3–9 in. broad, ovate-deltoid to lanceolate-deltoid, acuminate, not narrowed at the base, rigid and coriaceous, glabrous above, more or less woolly or furfuraceous beneath, pinnate or 2-pinnate; rhachis often scaly and woolly like the stipes, but usually less conspicuously so. Pinnæ numerous, usually close and compact, but sometimes a little remote, spreading, ½–4 in. long, ¾–1½ in. broad, lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate, deeply pinnatifid or again pinnate. Pinnules numerous, close, lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate or ovate-oblong, acute or mucronate or pungent, usually more or less acutely serrate, but sometimes the teeth are obtuse or very obscure. Sori in two rows in each pinnule, about half-way between the midrib and the margin. Indusium orbicular, fiat, with a rather large dark disc and pale margin.—Handb. N.Z. Fl. 375; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 253; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 79; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 128, t. 13, f. 4. A. coriaceum var. acutidentatum, A. Rich. Fl. Nouv. Zel. 71. Polystichum aristatum, Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 37, t. 78 (not of Presl.). Polystichum Richardi, Diels.
North and South Islands: From the North Cape to the south of Otago, not uncommon in lowland districts, especially near the sea.
Also in Fiji. A variable plant, especially in the extent to which the pinnæ are divided, and in the shape and toothing of the pinnules.
4. A. oculatum, Hook. Sp. Fil. iv. 24, t. 228.—"Rhizome absent. Fronds 10–20 in. long, coriaceous, ovate-oblong, acuminate, 3-pinnate, pale and clothed with woolly hairs below; stipes stout, straw-coloured, covered with rigid, large, subulate, brown scales margined with white; rhachis with fewer softer scales and lax woolly hairs; primary divisions of the frond 2–4 in. long, narrow ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, stalked, not close together; secondary also lax, ⅔–1 in. long, sessile or stalked; pinnules alternate, sessile, decurrent, ¼ in. long, obtuse or mucronate, obtusely toothed or subpinnatifid. Sori abundant over the whole under-surface. 2–4 on each segment; involucre orbicular, shortly stalked, with a large black disc and narrow reddish margin."—Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 376; Hook, and Bak. Syn. Fil. 253; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 79; Field, N.Z., Ferns, 129.
North and South Islands: "Wairarapa Valley, Colenso; Akaroa, Raoul" (Handbook).
I have not identified this with certainty, and have consequently reproduced the description given in the Handbook. It is probably nothing more than a trivial variety of A. Richardi with a rather laxer frond than usual, and smaller and shorter pinnules with more obtuse teeth. Mr. Baker keeps it as a distinct species in the "Synopsis Filicum," but in the "Annals of Botany" (Vol. v., 314) he remarks that it is evidently a mere variety of A. Richardi.
​5. A. cystostegia, Hook. Sp. Fil. iv. 26, t. 227.—Rhizome short, stout, densely scaly, sometimes branched above. Stipes 2–6 in. high, pale-brown, clothed with copious large pale-brown shining membranous lanceolate scales. Fronds very numerous, tufted at the top of the rhizome, 4–10 in. long without the stipes, 1½–2 in. broad, oblong-lanceolate, acute, pale-green, soft, membranous and almost flaccid, both surfaces clothed with linear scales when young, 2-pinnate; rhachis stout, densely scaly. Pinnae spreading, closely placed above the middle, remote below, ½–1½ in. long, ovate-deltoid, pinnate; rhachises often winged. Pinnules ¼–⅓ in. long, ovate-lanceolate, deeply lobed or pinnatifid; segments obtuse or acute. Sori numerous, large, 2–4 to a pinnule. Indusium orbicular, very convex, almost hemispherical, thin and membranous, pale-coloured.—Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 376; Hook. and. Bak. Syn. Fil. 253; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 79; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 128, t. 8. f. 3.
North Island: Tongariro, Dieffenbach; Mount Egmont, Mrs. Jones, T.F.C; Tararua Mountains, Buchanan. South Island: Not uncommon in alpine districts throughout. Auckland Islands: Kirk. 3000–5500 ft.
A very distinct little species, easily recognised by the stout soft stipes and rhachis densely clothed with large pale scales, the narrow frond, and large bladdery indusia. A form with a firmer frond and dark-coloured scales on the stipes is occasionally seen.
6. A. capense, Willd. Sp. Plant. v. 268.—Rhizome long, stout, creeping, covered with large tawny subulate-lanceolate silky scales. Stipes 1–2 ft. long, stout, erect, more or less densely clothed with deciduous scales. Fronds scattered along the rhizome, 9–18 in. long without the stipes, 6–12 in. broad, ovate-deltoid, acuminate, very coriaceous, rigid, glabrous or the under-surface slightly paleaceous, 3-pinnate; rhachis deciduously scaly. Primary pinnae erectopatent, stipitate, lanceolate or lanceolate-deltoid, 2-pinnate; the lowest pair the largest, 4–8 in. long, 2–3 in. broad, the basal secondary pinna on each side of the frond longer than the others. Ultimate segments oblong, obtuse or subacute, shortly and bluntly lobed or almost entire, not mucronate. Sori copious, in 2 rows near the midrib, often covering the whole under-surface. Indusium large, orbicular, sometimes with a distinct sinus.—Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 254; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 758; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 80; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 129, t. 6, f. 2. A. coriaceum, Swartz, Syn. Fil. 57; A. Rich. Fl. Nouv. Zel. 71; A. Cunn. Precur. n. 223; Raoul, Choix, 38; Hook. Sp. Fil. iv. 32; Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 376. A. Cunninghamianum, Col. in Tasmanian Journ. Nat. Sci. (1845) 6. Polystichum coriaceum, Schott; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 37. Polypodium adiantiiorme, Forst. Prodr. n. 449.
North and South Islands, Stewart Island, Chatham Islands: Abundant in forests throughout, often climbing up trees. Sea-level to 2000 ft.
A widely distributed fern, found in temperate Australia, Polynesia, South Africa, Mauritius, and in America stretching from Cuba to Patagonia.
​7. A. aristatum, Swartz, Syn. Fil. 53.—Rhizome long, stout, creeping, clothed with linear-subulate ferruginous scales. Stipes 9–18 in. long, stout, densely clothed towards the base with linear fibrillose scales. Fronds scattered, 1–2 ft. long by 9–12 in. broad, ovate-deltoid, acuminate, coriaceous, dark-green and glossy, both surfaces naked, 3-pinnate; rhachis glabrous or sparingly paleaceous. Primary pinnse stipitate, lanceolate, acuminate, pinnate or 2-pinnate; the lowest pair the longest, 6–9 in. long, lanceolate-deltoid, with an elongated basal pinnule. Pinnules obliquely ovate-lanceolate or narrow ovate-rhomboid, irregularly dentate with the teeth ending in bristle-like points. Sori rather small, in 2 rows near the midrib. Indusium smooth, flat, orbicular or rarely slightly reniform.—Hook. Sp. Fil. iv. 27; Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 376; Hook, and Bak. Syn. Fil. 255; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 757; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 80. Polystichum aristatum, Presl. Tent. Pterid. 83 (not of Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 37). Polypodium aristatum, Forst. Prodr. n. 418.
Kermadec Islands: Sunday Island, abundant, MacGilllvray, T.F.C.
A most abundant Polynesian plant, also found in tropical Australia, Malaya, India, China, Japan, and South Africa.
20. NEPHRODIUM, Rich.
Rhizome short and tufted or long and creeping. Fronds crowded at the top of the rhizome or scattered along it, very various in size and form, frequently pinnate with the pmnae pinnatifid, or 2–3-pinnate or decompound. Veins all free, or the lower veinlets in a lobe united by their tips to those of the adjoining lobes, or (in species not found in New Zealand) copiously anastomosing. Sori subglobose, dorsal, placed on the back or at the tip of a vein. Indusium cordate or reniform, attached by the sinus, membranous, concealing the sorus when young. Sporangia stalked, surrounded by an incomplete vertical ring, bursting transversely.
Understood in the sense of the "Synopsis Filicum," this is the largest genus of ferns after Polypodium, including over 400 species, and quite cosmopolitan in its distribution. Of the 8 species found in New Zealand, 6 are widely spread, 1 extends to Australia alone, the remaining 1 appears to be endemic.
Subgenus I. Lastrea. Veins and veinlets all free. :
| * Fronds lanceolate or linear oblong, pinnate with the pinnæ pinnatifid. ||
| Rhizome long, creeping. Fronds 6–12 in. long, membranous, glabrous except a few scales on the under-surface of the rhachis and costæ | 1. N. Thelypteris. |
| ** Fronds broadly ovate or deltoid, 2–3-pinnate or decompound. ||
| Rhizome long, creeping. Fronds 9–18 in., pale-green, finely pubescent. Stipes pubescent | 2. N. decompositum. |
| Rhizome short, tufted. Fronds 6–14 in., dark-green, glabrous except the rhachis and costae. Stipes nearly glabrous | 3. N. glabellum. ​ |
| Rhizome short, tufted. Fronds 9–18 in., reddish-brown, both surfaces clothed with short velvety pubescence | 4. N. velutinum. |
| Rhizome short. Fronds 1–3 ft., ovate or ovate-lanceolate, pale-green, membranous; rhachises and under-surface with fine spreading hairs | 6. N. setigerum. |
| Rhizome long, stout, creeping. Fronds 1–2 ft., ovate deltoid, coriaceous, finely 2–4-pinnate. Stipes and rhachis densely hispid with rigid linear bristles | 6. N. hispidum. |
| Subgenus II. Eunephrodium. Veins in regular pinnate groups, the lower veinlets of each group united at the tips with those of the adjoining groups. ||
| Rhizome long, creeping. Fronds 6–18 in., rather rigid; lower pinnæ not reduced in size | 7. N. unitum. |
| Rhizome short. Fronds 1–3 ft., soft and membranous, finely pilose; lower pinnæ gradually reduced in size | 8. N. molle. |
1. N. Thelypteris, Desv. in Mem. Soc. Linn. vi. 257; var. squamulosum, Schlecht. Fil. Cap. 23, t. 11.—Rhizome long, slender, creeping, branched. Stipes 4–12 in. long, slender, straw-coloured, darker at the base, smooth, naked or slightly scaly when young. Fronds scattered along the rhizome, 6–12 in. long without the stipes, rarely more, 2–5 in. broad, linear-oblong or lanceolate, acuminate, truncate at the base, pale-green, membranous, glabrous except the costæ and rhachis which are sparsely clothed beneath with pale broad convex scales, pinnate. Pinnæ opposite or nearly so, 1–2½ in. long, ⅓–½ in. broad, linear-oblong, deeply pinnatifid. Segments ⅙–¼ in. long, oblong, obtuse or subacute, quite entire, broader and flatter in the sterile frond than in the fertile. Veins free, the lower or nearly all forked. Sori numerous, small, in two rows, rather nearer the recurved margin than the midrib. Indusium cordate-reniform, glandular-ciliate.—Hook. Sp. Fil. iv. 88; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 377; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 271; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 81; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 130, t. 13, f. 3. N. squamulosum, Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 39.
North Island: Marshes from the North Cape to the East Cape, Taupo, Whanganui, and Otaki, but often local. Sea-level to 2000 ft.
The typical form of the species is found in Europe, north Asia, the Himalayas, and North America; the var. squamulosum, which differs chiefly in the scales on the under-side of the rhachis and eostie, appears to be confined to New Zealand and South Africa.
2. N. decompositum, R. Br. Prodr. 149.—Rhizome long, slender, creeping, branched, more or less clothed with chaffy scales. Stipes 6–18 in. long, firm, erect, scaly towards the base, villous-pubescent above. Fronds scattered along the rhizome, not tufted, 9–18 in. long without the stipes, often almost as broad, ovate-deltoid or pentangular, acuminate, membranous or subcoriaceous, pale-green, more or less finely villous or pubescent, 2-pinnate above, 3-pinnate below; rhachis and costæ slender, villous-pubescent. Primary pinnæ 4–9 in. long; the lowest pair ​much the largest, unequally deltoid with the basal secondary pinna on each side much longer than the rest; upper pinnæ gradually smaller, ovate-lanceolate. Secondary pinnæ lanceolate, deeply pinnatifid or the lower again pinnate; ultimate segments close, unequal-sided, ovate-rhomboid to lanceolate-rhomboid, acutely toothed or lobed. Sori rather large, distant, nearer the margin than the midrib. Indusium orbicular-reniform.—Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 39, t. 79; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 378; Hook. Sp. Fil. iv. 146; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 281; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 82; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 131, t. 5, f. 7. N. pentangularum, Col. in. Tasmanian Journ. Nat. Sci. (1845) 9. Aspidium decompositum, Spreng. Syst. iv. 109; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 758.
Kermadec Islands, North and South Islands, Chatham Islands: Not uncommon in lowland districts, usually in rich alluvial soils. Sea-level to 1200 ft.
An abundant Australian plant, ranging from the north of Queensland to Tasmania, also in Norfolk Island.
3. N. glabellum, A. Cunn. Precur. n. 224.—Rhizome short, stout, tufted, clothed with the bases of the old stipites intermixed with subulate scales. Stipes 4–10 in. long, slender, firm, scaly at the base, glabrous or nearly so above. Fronds tufted at the top of the rhizome, 6–14 in. long or more without the stipes, 4–10 in. broad, ovate-deltoid, acuminate, membranous but firm, dark-green, 2–3-pinnate; surfaces almost glabrous except the rhachis and costæ, which are more or less clothed with short reddish pubescence. Primary pinnæ 2–5 in. long; the lowest pair the largest, deltoid, not so unequal-sided as in N. decompositum, and the basal secondary pinnæ not conspicuously longer than the rest; upper pinnæ lanceolate, acuminate; secondary rhachises margined throughout. Secondary pinnæ obliquely ovate-lanceolate or lanceolate, deeply pinnatifid or the lower again pinnate; ultimate segments ovate or oblong, sharply toothed or lobed. Sori distant, about half-way between the margin and the midrib. Indusium pale, orbicular-reniform.—Raoul, Choix, 38; Kirk in Trans. N.Z. Inst. x. (1878) 398; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 82; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 131, t. 6, f. 3. N. decompositum var. pubescens, Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 39. N. decompositum var. microphyllum, Hook. Sp. Fil. iv. 146. N. decompositum var. glabellum, Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 281.
North and South Islands: In dry woods from the North Cape to Foveaux Strait, not uncommon. Sea-level to 1500 ft.
Also in Australia and several of the Polynesian islands. Closely allied to N. decompositum, but sufficiently distinct in the short (not creeping) rhizome, the nearly glabrous stipes, the smaller dark-green and glossy tufted fronds, with a narrower outline, and with the surfaces glabrous except a reddish pubescence on the rhachis and costæ.
​4. N. velutinum, Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 39, t. 80.—Rhizome short, stout, erect. Stipes 9–18 in. long, firm, erect, densely villose-pubescent above, clothed at the base with large red-brown subulate scales. Fronds tufted at the top of the rhizome, 9–18 in. long, almost the same in breadth, broadly deltoid or pentangular, acuminate, reddish-brown, soft and membranous, clothed on both surfaces with copious short silky hairs, 2–3-pinnate or in large specimens 4-pinnate at the base; rhachises densely silky. Lower primary pinnæ much the largest, 6–12 in. long, deltoid, the lowest secondary pinna much longer than the rest and deflexed; upper pinnae gradually smaller, oblong-deltoid to lanceolate-deltoid, acuminate. Secondary pinnæ close, numerous, lanceolate, deeply pinnatifid or again pinnate. Pinnules oblong-ovate or oblong, obtuse, deeply obtusely lobed or pinnatifid. Sori rather small, copious; indusmm pubescent, often glandular.—Handb. N.Z. Fl. 378; Hook. Sp. Fil. iii. 145; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 281; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 83; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 132, t. 20, f. 2. Aspidium velutinum, A. Rich. Fl. Nouv. Zel. 70; A. Cunn. Precur. n. 222; Raoul, Choix, 38.
North and South Islands: Dry woods from the North Cape to Otago, but rather local in the South Island. Sea-level to 1000 ft.
Allied to N. decompositum, but easily separated by the more membranous and flaccid reddish-brown fronds, densely clothed with a short velvety pubescence. Apparently confined to New Zealand.
5. N. setigerum, Bak. Syn. Fil. 284.—Ehizome short. Stipes 1–2 ft. long or more, firm, erect, straw-coloured, slightly paleaceous at the base, smooth and glabrous above. Fronds tufted, 1–3 ft. long, 9–18 in. broad, ovate or ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, pale-green, membranous, 2–3-pinnate; main rhachis stramineous, naked towards the base, densely clothed with fibrillose hairs above, as are the secondary rhachises; under-surface of frond and veins hispid with long white spreading needle-like hairs. Lower primary pinnæ 9–12 in. long, ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, the upper gradually smaller and narrower; secondary pinnæ lanceolate, deeply pinnatifid or again pinnate. Pinnules ⅙–¼ in. long, linear-oblong, obtuse, deeply lobed or pinnatifid, the margins usually recurved. Sori small, copious, 6–10 to a pinnule. Indusium small, soon deciduous.—N. tenericaule, Hook. Sp. Fil. iv. 142, t. 269; Cheesem. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xx. (1888) 178.
Kermadec Islands: Ravines on the north side of Sunday Island, not uncommon, T.F.C.
Abundant throughout Polynesia, and ranging from tropical Australia to Malaya, India, China, and Japan.
6. N. hispidum, Hook. Sp. Fil. iv. 150.—Rhizome long, stout, creeping, densely clothed with subulate red-brown scales. Stipes 9–18 in. long, stout, erect, brown, everywhere hispid with long ​rigid linear spreading bristles with a swollen base. Fronds 9–18 in. long or more, 6–12 in. broad, broadly ovate or triangular, acuminate, brownish-green, coriaceous, 3–4-pinnate; primary and secondary rhachises bristly like the stipes. Primary pinnæ 3–8 in. long, ovate-lanceolate or the lowest deltoid, acuminate, the lowest pinnule larger than the others. Secondary pinnæ oblong-lanceolate, again 1- or 2-pinnate. Pinnules ¼–½ in. long, narrow-lanceolate, acute, deeply and acutely toothed or almost pinnatifid, the teeth often pungent. Sori large, copious, one to each of the ultimate segments or lobes. Indusium orbicular with an indistinct sinus, flat, brown.—Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 378; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 286; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 760; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 83; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 132, t. 3, f. 3. Aspidium hispidum, Swartz, Syn. Fil. 56; A. Rich. Fl. Nouv. Zel. 69; A. Cunn. Precur. n. 221; Raoul, Choix, 38. Polystichum hispidum, J. Sm. Gen. Ferns, 83; Hook. f. FL Nov. Zel. ii. 38. Polypodium setosum, Forst. Prodr. n. 447.
North and South Islands, Stewart Island, Chatham Islands: Abundant in forests throtighout. Sea-level to 2000 ft.
A very distinct species, at once recognised by the finely divided frond and the numerous stiff spreading bristles on the stipes and rhachis. It is also found in Victoria, where, however, it is rare and local.
7. N. unitum, R. Br. Prodr. 148.—Rhizome long, stout, creeping, sparingly clothed with blackish-brown scales. Stipes 6–14 in. long, smooth, erect, almost black at the base, brownish above, naked or with a few chaffy scales. Fronds 6–18 in. long without the stipes, 3–9 in. broad, oblong or ovate-oblong, acuminate, somewhat rigid, coriaceous, glabrous, pinnate; rhachis smooth, naked. Pinnæ 9–15 pairs, subopposite, ascending or spreading, the lower ones not reduced in size, 2–5 in. long, ⅓–½ in. broad, linear-lanceolate, pinnatifid from ⅓ to ½ the way to the midrib; lobes spreading, ovate or ovate-triangular, subacute or obtuse, entire or nearly so. Veins pinnate in each lobe; veinlets 6–8 on each side, the lower ones united at the tips with those of the adjoining lobes. Sori copious, nearer the margin than the midrib, mostly placed in the lobes, but usually extending below them as well.—Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 749; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 289; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 83; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 134, t. 23, f. 1. N. inæquilaterum, Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xx. (1888) 229. Aspidium unitum, Swartz, Syn. Fil. 47; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 755.
North Island: Swamps in the North Cape district, at Houhoura, Waihi, Rangaunu Harbour, Ahipara, &c., J. B. Simpson! R. H. Matthews! T.F.C.; hot springs at Miranda, Thames, J. Adams! hot-water swamps in the Thermal-springs district, not uncommon from Maketu and Rotorua to Waiotapu, Rotokawa, Wairakei, and Tokaanu, Captain G. Mair! Kirk! T.F.C., Norton! Field, &c. Sea-level to 1800 ft.
An abundant fern in most tropical and warm-temperate countries.
​8. N. molle, Desv. in Mem. Linn. Soc. vi. 258.—Rhizome very shortly creeping or tufted and erect, densely rooting. Stipes 9–24 in. long, slender, greenish, naked or pubescent with soft spreading hairs. Fronds 1–3 in. long, 6–12 in. broad, oblong-lanceolate, acuminate, gradually narrowed at the base, pale-green, membranous and flaccid, sparingly pilose on both surfaces or almost glabrous when old, pinnate; rhachis pale, pilose with spreading hairs. Pinnæ numerous, the lower ones gradually dwarfed, spreading, sessile, 3–6 in. long, about ¾ in. broad, lanceolate, acuminate, pinnatifid about half-way to the midrib; lobes short, oblong, obtuse, entire or nearly so. Veins pinnate in the lobes; veinlets 5–8 on each side, the lower ones uniting at the tips with those of the adjoining lobes. Sori copious, about half-way between the margin and the midrib. Indusium cordate-reniform, usually villous.—Hook. Sp. Fil. iv. 67; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 377; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 293; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 84; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 133, t. 23, f. 5. Aspidium molle, Swartz, Syn. Fil. 49; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 756. Polypodium nymphale, Forst. Prodr. 442.
Kermadec Islands: Sunday Island, not uncommon, MacGillivray, T.F.C. North Island: Auckland—North Cape district, a small patch by the side of the Mangatete Stream, flowmg into Rangaunu Harbour, R. H. Matthews! Thermal-springs district, by the banks of the Otumakokori, or Boiling River (near Waiotapu), Captain G. Mair! T.F.C., Kirk! margins of hot springs at Wairakei (Taupo), C. J. Norton! T.F.C.
Abundant in tropical and warm temperate countries almost throughout the world.
21. NEPHROLEPIS, Schott.
Rhizome short and indistinct, or long and creeping, sometimes emitting long wiry creeping and rooting stolons, from which new plants originate. Fronds long and narrow, coriaceous or submembranous, pinnate; pinnæ jointed upon the rhachis, often deciduous, entire or crenate-serrate, upper surface frequently marked with white cretaceous dots. Veins free. Sori roundish, dorsal, placed on the tip of the upper branch of a vein, usually close to the margin. Indusium cordate or reniform or almost lunate, attached by a broad base. Sporangia stalked, surrounded by an incomplete vertical ring, bursting transversely.
A small genus of 7 or 8 species, widely distributed in the tropical regions of both hemispheres. The two New Zealand species have the range of the genus.
| Pinnæ ½–1 in. long, oblong or linear-oblong, obliquely cordate at the base | 1. N. cordifolia. |
| Pinnæ 1½–3 in. long, oblong-lanceolate, usually obliquely truncate at the base | 2. N. exaltata. |
1. N. cordifolia, Presl; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 300.—Rhizome short, suberect or oblique, emitting numerous long and wiry scaly stolons, which root here and there and proiuce new plants, ​sometimes bearing small scaly tubers. Stipes short, 1–4 in. long, red-brown, glossy, more or less clothed with deciduous linear scales. Fronds numerous, tufted, 1–3 ft. long, 1½–2 in. broad, linear-lanceolate, acuminate, pale-green, membranous, pinnate; rhachis usually shaggy with linear flexuose scales. Pinnæ very numerous, close-set, often imbricated, horizontal, ½–1 in. long, ¼–½ in. broad, oblong or linear-oblong, obtuse or subacute, cordate at the base, the upper edge distinctly auricled, the lower shorter and rounded; margins crenate-toothed; the lower pinnæ shorter and broader and sterile. Sori in two rows on the pinnæ, rather nearer the margin than the midrib. Indusium reniform, firm, membranous.—Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 85; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 134, t. 20, f. 3. N. tuberosa, Presl; Hook. Sp. Fil. iv. 151; Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 879. N. flexuosa, Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xx. (1888) 231. Aspidium cordifolium, Swartz, Syn. Fil. 45; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 754.
North Island: Auckland—Thermal-springs district, in localities heated by warm water; Otumakokori Stream (near Waiotapu), Captain G. Mair! Kirk! T.F.C.; Wairakei, Karapiti, and other localities at Taupo, Hochstetter, C. J. Norton! T.F.C.
An abundant tropical fern, extending northwards to Japan and southwards to New Zealand.
2. N. exaltata, Schott; Hook. Sp. Fil. iv. 152.—Rhizome short, indistinct, emitting numerous long wiry creeping stolons. Stipes 3–9 in. long, stout, erect, deciduously scaly. Fronds numerous, 1–3 ft. long, 4–5 in. broad, oblong-lanceolate, rather coriaceous, pinnate; rhachis and costæ and sometimes the under-surface of the pinnæ more or less scaly-tomentose or woolly. Pinnæ numerous, close-set, horizontally spreading, 1½–3 in. long, ⅓–⅔ in. broad, lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, acute, broadly obliquely truncate or subcordate at the base, the upper edge slightly auricled, the lower rounded; margins crenate-serrate. Sori close to the margin, numerous, rather small. Indusium firm, almost coriaceous, distinctly reniform.—Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 301; Cheesem. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xx. (1888) 178. Aspidium exaltatum, Swartz, Syn. Fil. 45; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 754.
Kermadec Islands: Sunday Island, sandy flats in Denham Bay, not seen elsewhere, T.F.C.
An abundant tropical fern all round the world.
22. POLYPODIUM, Linn.
Rhizome short and suberect, or long and creeping. Stipes jointed on the rhizome or continuous with it. Fronds very various in size, shape, and cutting, simple or pinnate or 2–4-pinnate. Veins free or anastomosing. Sori globose or nearly so, placed on the back of the frond, either at the tip of a vein or on the back of one. Indusium wanting. Sporangia stalked, surrounded by an incomplete vertical ring, bursting transversely.
As defined above, this is the largest genus of ferns, containing over 500 species, found in all parts of the world. Various attempts to divide it have been made by authors, and a multitude of small genera have been proposed, several of which appear to be well founded, but no complete arrangement of the species has yet been propounded which has met with the general approval of botanists. Of the 10 species found in New Zealand, one (P. punctatum) is universal in the tropics and the south temperate zone; another (P. australe) is common to Australia and the extreme south of South America; 6 extend to Australia or the Pacific islands; the remaining 2 are endemic.
Subgenus I. Phegopteris. Stipes not jointed on to the rhizome but continuous with it. Veins all free. :
| Fronds large, 1–4 ft., 2–4-pinnate, glandular-pubescent | 1. P. punctatum. |
| Subgenus II. Goniopteris. Stipes not jointed on to the rhizome but continuous with it. Veins pinnate in the lobes, the lower veinlets uniting at the tips with those of the adjoining lobes. ||
| Fronds large, 2–5 ft., pinnate, membranous, glabrous or nearly so | 2. P. pennigerum. |
| Subgenus III. Eupolypodium. Stipes jointed on to the rhizome. Veins all free. ||
| Rhizome short. Fronds small, 1–6 in., quite entire. Sori oblong or linear-oblong, oblique to the midrib | 3. P. australe. |
| Rhizome short. Fronds 3–9 in., irregularly pinnatifid or 2-pinnatifid; pinnas linear. Sori oblong or rounded | 4. P. grammitidis. |
| Rhizome very long, creeping. Fronds 1–2 ft., pinnate; pinnæ undivided, jointed on the rhachis | 5. P. tenellum. |
| Subgenus IV. Niphobolus. Stipes jointed on to the rhizome. Veins copiously anastomosing. Under-surface of frond densely tomentose. ||
| Rhizome long. Fronds 1–6 in., simple, entire, coriaceous; sterile shorter and broader than the fertile | 6. P. serpens. |
| Subgenus V. Phymatodes. Stipes jointed on to the rhizome. Veins copiously anastomosing. Under-surface of frond glabrous. ||
| Rhizome short. Fronds 4–12 in., tufted, lanceolate, simple and entire | 7. P. Cunninghamii |
| Rhizome long, slender, clothed with squarrose scales. Fronds 6–18 in., simple or pinnatifid, membranous; segments narrow | 8. P. pustulatum. |
| Rhizome long, stout, clothed with appressed scales. Fronds 6–18 in., simple or pinnatifid, coriaceous; segments usually broad | 9. P. Billardieri. |
| Rhizome long, stout, clothed with large tawny spreading scales. Fronds 1–4 ft., deeply pinnatifid or pinnate below, thinly coriaceous; segments usually narrow | 10. P. novæ-zealandiæ. |
1. P. punctatum, Thunb. Fl. Jap. 336.—Rhizome long, creeping, villous with rufous spreading hairs. Stipes 6–18 in. long, firm, erect, red-brown, densely glandular-pubescent and viscous, rough with minute raised points. Fronds scattered along the rhizome, very variable in size, from ½–3 ft. long, 3–18 in. broad, ovate-deltoid to lanceolate-deltoid, acuminate, rather membranous, ​glandular-pubescent on both surfaces, 3-pinnate; rhachis viscid pubescent like the stipes. Primary pinnæ in rather distant pairs, 2–10 in. long or more, 1–6 in. broad, narrow-deltoid to lanceolate, acuminate; secondary oblong or linear-oblong, acute or obtuse, deeply pinnatifid or again pinnate. Pinnules or segments oblong, crenate or angulate-dentate or pinnatifid. Veins free, once or twice forked. Sori rather large, orbicular, in 2 rows in each pinnule, close to the margin, often copious and covering the whole under-surface.—Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 312; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 764; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 86; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 136, i. 15, f. 3. P. rugulosum, Lab. Fl. Nov. Holl. ii. 92, t. 241; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 41; Hook. Sp. Fil. iv. 272. P. viscidum, Spreng. Sp. Plant. iv. 61; Hook. f. Fl. Antarct. i. 110. P. viscidum, Col. in Tasmanian Journ. Nat. Sci. (1845) 4. P. rufobarbatum, Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvi. (1884) 347.
North and South Islands, Stewart Island, Chatham Islands, Auckland and Campbell Islands: Abundant throughout. Sea-level to 2500 ft.
With the exception of Africa, this is universally distributed throughout the tropics and the south temperate zone, advancing as far northwards as Japan. It is often confused with Hypolepis tenuifolia, which it much resembles in habit and in the shape of the frond. But the stipes and rhachis are markedly viscid-pubescent, the frond glandular-hairy on both surfaces, and the sori are not so close to the margin, and are not covered by a recurved lobule.
2. P. pennigerum, Forst. Prodr. n. 444.—Rhizome stout, erect, sometimes lengthened into a short caudex 1–2 ft. high, clothed with fibrous rootlets and the bases of the old stipites. Stipes 6–12 in. long, stout, rather succulent, more or less clothed with large ovate-lanceolate brownish scales near the base, smooth and glabrous above. Fronds 2–5 ft. long, 9–18 in. broad, oblong-lanceolate, acuminate, thin and membranous, glabrous, pinnate, pinnatifid at the apex; rhachis smooth, glabrous or slightly hairy above. Pinnæ numerous, opposite or nearly so, spreading, 3–9 in. long, ⅓–1¼ in. broad, the lower ones gradually reduced, narrow linear-oblong or linear-lanceolate, acuminate, truncate or almost auricled at the base, pinnatifid about half-way to the midrib; lobes oblong or ovate-oblong, slightly falcate, obtuse, entire or obscurely sinuate. Veins pinnate in the lobes; veinlets 6–10 on each side, the 2 lowest pairs uniting at the tips with those of the adjoining lobes. Sori one to each veinlet, forming two rows much nearer the midrib than the margin.—Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 381; Hook. Sp. Fil. v. 7; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 317; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 87; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 137, t. 25, f. 3, and t. 26, f. 4. P. subsimile, Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xx. (1888) 233. Goniopteris pennigera, J. Sm. Gen. Ferns, 18; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 40. Aspidium pennigerum, Swartz, Syn. Fil. 49, 250; A. Rich. Fl. Nouv. Zel. 67; A. Cunn. Precur. n. 217; Raoul, Choix, 38.
Var. Hamiltoni, Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xiv. (1882) 338.—Smaller and more delicate, pale green. Fronds 1–2 ft. long, 3–5 in. broad; pinnæ irregular, crisped, pinnatifid three-quarters of the way to the midrib or more; lobes coarsely and sharply irregularly dentate. Veinlets confined to the lobes, the lowest pair not meeting those of the adjoining lobes. Sori midway between the midrib and the margin. A very peculiar plant, but possibly only an abnormal state.
North and South Islands, Chatham Islands: From the North Cape to Foveaux Strait, abundant in woods by the side of streams, &c. Sea-level to 2000 ft. Var. Hamiltoni: Kereru (Hawke's Bay), A. Hamilton!
A very distinct species, confined to New Zealand.
3. P. australe, Mett. Polyp. 36.—Rhizome very short, or erect or oblique and lengthened to ½–1½ in. long, crowned with copious pale chestnut-brown scales; rootlets long, wiry, densely hairy; often several rhizomes and their rootlets are matted together in the same tuft. Fronds numerous, crowded towards the end of the rhizome, erect, 1–6 in. long, ⅙–⅓ in. broad, linear-lanceolate or narrow-oblanceolate or linear-spathulate, quite entire, obtuse at the tip, very gradually narrowed into a short winged stipes, dark-green, coriaceous, glabrous or sparingly ciliate with short whitish hairs towards the base. Veins obscure, hidden in the substance of the frond. Sori in a single row on each side of the midrib and nearer to it than to the margin, oblique to the midrib, usually numerous, rather large, oblong or linear-oblong, often confluent when old.—Hook. Sp. Fil. iv. 167; Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 380; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 322; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 762; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 87; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 138, t. 22, f. 1. Grammitis australis, R. Br. Prodr. 146; A. Cunn. Precur. n. 172; Raoul, Choix, 37; Homb. and Jacq. Voy. au Pole Sud, Crypt, t. 2, G; Hook. f. Fl. Antarct. i. 111; Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 44. G. rigida and G. humilis, Homb. and Jacq. l.c. t. 2, F, H.
Var. villosum, Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 44.—Stipes, margins, and undersurface of the fronds more or less villous with long spreading rufous or whitish hairs, often partially concealing the sori.—P. paradoxum, Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xiv. (1882) 336. Grammitis ciliata, Col. in Tasmanian Journ. Nat. Sci. (1845) 6.
Var. pumilum, Cheesem.—Small, very densely matted; rhizomes stout, creeping, sometimes 1–2 in. long. Fronds ⅓–¾ in. long, obovate or spathulate, obtuse, narrowed to the base, very thick and coriaceous, glabrous or obscurely pubescent beneath. Sori usually solitary near the tip of the frond, large, roundish.—P. crassium, Kirk in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvii. (1885) 232. Grammitis pumila, Armstr. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xiii. (1879) 314.
North and South Islands, Stewart Island, Auckland and Campbell Islands, Antipodes Island, Macquarie Island: The typical state and var. villosum not uncommon throughout on rocks or trunks of trees; var. pumilum in mountain districts from the East Cape southwards, ascending to over 5000 ft.
A very variable little plant, also found in Australia and Tasmania, Chili, Fuegia, Tristan d'Acunha, and Marion Island.
​4. P. grammitidis, R. Br. Prodr. 147.—Rhizome short, tufted, crowned with subulate-lanceolate scales; roots long, fibrous. Stipes short, wiry, naked, 1–2 in. long. Fronds tufted at the top of the rhizome, very variable in size and shape, 3–9 in. long, 1–3 in. broad, lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate or narrow-ovate, acuminate, sometimes caudate, dark-green, coriaceous, quite glabrous, pinnatifid almost to the rhachis. Pinnæ often unequal, linear, decurrent on the rhachis at the base and confluent; in large states 1–3 in. long, ⅙–⅓ in. broad, deeply lobed or pinnatifid; in small forms shorter, entire or sinuate or shortly lobed; rarely the pinnæ are reduced to short triangular lobes, so that the frond is narrow-linear in outline. Veins obscure, simple or forked. Sori oblong or rounded, usually one at the base of each segment of the pinnæ, more rarely 2–4 to a segment.—A. Cunn. Precur. n. 177; Raoul, Choix, 37; Hook. Sp. Fil. iv. 230; Hook. f. Fl. Antarct. i. 111; Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 41; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 380; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 327; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 764; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 88; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 139, t. 14, f. 3. Grammitis heterophylla, Lab. Pl. Nov. Holl. ii. 90, t. 239.
North and South Islands, Stewart Island, Chatham Islands, Auckland and Campbell Islands: From the North Cape southwards, abundant in forests on the trunks of trees, more rarely on rocks. Saa-level to 3500 ft.
Also in Tasmania and Victoria.
5. P. tenellum, Forst. Prodr. n. 440.—Rhizome very long, slender, rigid, wiry, climbing up the trunks of trees or over rocks, clothed with chestnut-brown scales with a dark base. Stipes short, 1–3 in. long, jointed near the rhizome, smooth or more or less scaly. Fronds scattered along the rhizome, erect or pendulous, 1–2 ft. long, 2–5 in. broad, linear-oblong or lanceolate, dark-green, thinly coriaceous, quite glabrous, pinnate; rhachis smooth or slightly scaly. Pinnas distant, alternate, shortly stipitate, articulate on the rhachis, spreading, 1½–3 in. long, ¼–½ in. broad, lanceolate, attenuate at the tip, obliquely cuneate at the base, entire or obscurely undulate-crenate. Veins all free, once or twice forked. Sori globose, in 2 series in each pinnule, almost close to the margin.—A. Cunn. Precur. n. 176; Raoul, Choix, 37; Hook. Sp. Fil. iv. 217; Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 380; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 337; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 764; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 88; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 139, t. 4, f. 4. Arthropteris tenella, J. Sm. ex Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 43, t. 82. A. filipes, Moore, Ind. Fil. 84.
North Island: In woods from the Three Kings Islands and the North Cape to Cook Strait, but often local. South Island: Vicinity of Nelson, Kirk. Banks Peninsula, Armstrong.
Also in Norfolk Island, Australia, and New Caledonia.
​6. P. serpens, Forst. Prodr. n. 435.—Rhizome long, creeping, branched, climbing up the trunks of trees or over rocks, clothed with lanceolate long-acuminate ferruginous scales. Stipites remote, ½–3 in. long, firm, erect, jointed on the top of a scaly prolongation of the rhizome. Fronds dimorphous, simple, entire or obscurely sinuate, very thick and coriaceous, dark-green or yellow-green, glabrous or nearly so above, beneath densely clothed with whitish or buff-coloured stellate scales; sterile fronds variable in size and shape, 1–3 or even 4 in. long, ½–1 in. broad, obovate-spathulate or elliptical-spathulate to nearly orbicular, obtuse; fertile longer and narrower, 2–6 in. long, ½–¾ in. broad, linear-oblong or linear-lanceolate, obtuse or subacute, gradually tapering into the stipes. Veins quite hidden in the substance of the frond, copiously anastomosing. Sori very copious, irregularly scattered, large, prominent, often confined to the upper part of the frond, usually confluent in age.—Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 349; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 767; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 89; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 140, t. 6, f. 9. P. rupestre, R. Br. Prodr. 136; Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 381; Hook. Sp. Fil. v. 46. P. stellatum, A. Rich. Fl. Nouv. Zel. 64. Niphobolus rupestris, Spreng. Syst. Veg. iv. 44; Hook. and Grev. Ic. Fil. t. 93; A. Cunn. Precur. n. 178; Raoul, Choix, 37; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 44. N. bicolor, Kaulf. Enum. Fil. 128; Hook. and Grev. Ic. Fil. t. 44; A. Cunn. Precur. n. 179. N. serpens, Endl. Prodr. Ins. Norfolk, 8.
Kermadec Islands, North and South Islands, Stewart Island, Chatham Islands: Abundant throughout. Sea-level to 3500 ft.
Plentiful in eastern Australia, also found in Norfolk Island and several of the Pacific islands.
7. P. Cunninghamii, Hook. Sp. Fil. v. 58.—Rhizome small, short, knot-like, densely clothed with brownish lanceolate scales, emitting woolly rootlets, some of which creep and produce new tufts of fronds. Fronds tufted at the top of the rhizome, 4–12 in. long, ⅔–¾ in. broad, lanceolate or linear-lanceolate, acuminate, very gradually narrowed to the base or to a short stipes, quite entire, bright-green, rather fleshy but hardly coriaceous, quite glabrous; midrib stout, evident. Veins hidden in the substance of the frond, anastomosing, forming elongated hexagonal areoles without included free veinlets. Sori large, broadly oblong or rounded, prominent, rather far apart, in a single row on each side of the frond, nearer the midrib than the margin.—Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 381; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 354; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 89; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 141, t. 15, f. 5. P. attenuatum, A. Rich. Fl. Nouv. Zel. 62; A. Cunn. Precur. n. 173; Raoul, Choix, 37; Hook. Ic. Plant. t. 409 (not of R. Br.). Dictymia lanceolata, J. Sm. in Bot. Mag. vol. 72, Suppl. 16; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 43. Dictyopteris lanceolata, J. Sm. Gen. Ferns, 64.
North Island: In forests from the North Cape to Cook Strait, not uncommon, usually on the trunks of trees or on rocks. South Island: Nelson—Maitai Valley, T.F.C. Marlborough—Buchanan. Canterbury—Akaroa, Raoul. Sea-level to 2500 ft.
Also in the New Hebrides. I have seen no specimens from the south of Nelson.
8. P. pustulatum, Forst. Prodr. n. 436.—Rhizome very long, much branched, climbing up the trunks of trees or over rocks, everywhere clothed with squarrose linear-subulate dark-brown scales. Stipites scattered along the rhizome, 2—4 in. long, firm, slender, glabrous. Fronds very variable in size and outline, dark-green, thin and membranous, quite glabrous, sometimes 3–9 in. long, ⅓–⅔ in. broad, linear-lanceolate, acuminate, gradually narrowed into the stipes, quite entire; at other times 6–18 in. long, 2–6 in. broad, cut down to a broadly winged rhachis into few or many linear-lanceolate acuminate segments; segments rather distant, 1–3 in. long, ¼–⅓ in. broad, straight or falcate. Veins not very distinct, anastomosing, forming large irregular areoles with included free veinlets. Sori rather small, distant, broadly oblong or rounded, forming a row parallel with the margin and just within it, sunk in a shallow cavity of the frond and thus forming a pustule on the upper surface.—A. Cunn. Precur. n. 175; Raoul, Choix, 37; Hook. Sp. Fil. v. 80; Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 382; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 363; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 89; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 141, t. 17, f. 2. P. scandens, Forst. Prodr. n. 437; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 770. Phymatodes pustulata, Presl, Pterid. 196; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 42. Pleopeltis pustulata, Moore, Ind. Fil.
North and South Islands, Chatham Islands: Abundant in woods from the North Cape to Nelson, Marlborough, and Westland, from thence less common to the south of Otago. Sea-level to 2500 ft.
Found also in eastern Australia, from Queensland to Victoria, and in Norfolk Island. The fronds are fragrant when freshly dried, and were formerly used by the Maoris for scenting oil for applying to the person. Mr. Carruthers (Fl. Vitiensis, 369) considers that this is Forster's P. scandens, and that his P. pustulatum is the same as P. Billardieri.
9. P. Billardieri, R. Br. Prodr. 147.—Rhizome long, stout, creeping, often glaucous, clothed with appressed ovate-lanceolate acuminate scales, which are dark-brown or almost black with usually a pale scarious margin. Stipes jointed on to the rhizome, 2–8 in. long, stout, firm, erect, smooth and glossy, quite naked. Fronds numerous, scattered along the rhizome, bright-green, coriaceous, quite glabrous, polymorphous; sometimes 3–9 in. long, ½–2 in. broad, lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate, entire; at other times 6–18 in. long, 3–9 in. broad, deeply pinnatifid. Segments varying in number from 1 to 12 on a side, 1–5 in. long, ⅓–1¼ in. broad, oblong-lanceolate or linear, usually acuminate, confluent at the base with the broadly winged rhachis. Veins conspicuous, the ​primary ones irregular, enclosing between them several areoles with free included veinlets. Sori numerous, large, orbicular, forming a single row on each side of the midrib, medial or rather nearer the margin than the midrib.—A. Cunn. Precur. n. 174; Raoul, Choix, 37; Hook. Sp. Fil. v. 82; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 364; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 90; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 141, t. 2, f. 4. P. Phymatodes, A. Rich. Fl. Nouv. Zel. 66 (not of Linn.). P. scandens, Lab. Pl. Nov. Holl. ii. 91, t. 240 (not of Forst.). Phymatodes Billardieri, Presl, Pterid. 196; Hook. f. Fl. Antarct. i. 111; Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 42.
Kermadec Islands, North and South Islands, Stewart Island, Chatham Islands, Auckland and Campbell Islands: Abundant throughout, usually on trees or rocks, but sometimes on the ground. Sea-level to 3000 ft.
Found also in Norfolk Island, Lord Howe Island, Australia, and Tasmania, and very closely allied to the tropical P. Phymatodes, Linn.
10. P. novæ-zealandiæ, Bak. in Hook. Ic. Plant. t. 1674.—Rhizome long, stout, woody, as thick as the finger, densely clothed with large tawny ovate-lanceolate scales. Stipes 6–12 in. long, firm, erect, pale-brown, shining, quite naked. Fronds scattered along the rhizome, large, 1–4 ft. long, 6–14 in. broad, oblong-lanceolate, acuminate, thinly coriaceous, dark-green, quite glabrous, deeply pinnatifid or almost pinnate at the base; rhachis narrowly winged. Segments (or pinnæ) 8–20 pairs, opposite or nearly so, ascending, 4–8 in. long, about ½ in. broad, linear-lanceolate, acuminate, quite entire or obscurely sinuate, the lower ones sometimes narrowed towards the base. Veins indistinct, copiously anastomosing; areoles rather large with included free veinlets. Sori large, globose, forming a single row on each side of the midrib, rather nearer the margin than the midrib.—Ann. Bot. v. (1891) 479; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 90; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 142, t. 27, f. 3.
North Island: Te Aroha, Pirongia, and Karioi Mountains, T.F.C.; Lake Waikaremoana, A. Hamilton! Waimarino Forest, R. Curtis! forest to the west of Ruapehu, H. C. Field! Usually on logs or climbing up trees, rarely on the ground. 1500–3000 ft.
Apparently confined to the forest country in the central portions of the North Island. Closely allied to P. Billardieri, but the rhizome is much stouter, and densely clothed with shaggy spreading scales; the fronds are larger, often 4 ft. long, and more deeply pinnatifid; the segments are more numerous, longer and narrower; the venation is not so distinct, and the texture thinner. There is also no tendency to the polymorphism of the fronds so noticeable in both P. Billardieri and P. pustulatum, and simple fronds are apparently unknown.
23. NOTHOCHLÆNA, R. Br.
Rhizome short and tufted or long and creeping. Fronds usually small, erect, pinnate or 2–3-pinnate; under-surface more or less densely scaly or woolly or coated with white powder; texture coriaceous. Veins free, forked, not anastomosing. Sori marginal, oblong or rounded, terminating the veins, at first distinct, but soon ​confluent into a continuous or interrupted marginal line, often partly concealed by the slightly inflexed margin of the frond, but with no true indusium. Sporangia stalked, bursting transversely, girt by an incomplete vertical ring.
A genus of between 30 and 40 species, widely dispersed through the tropical and warm temperate regions of both hemispheres. It hardly differs from Cheilanthes, except in the recurved margin of the frond not being distinctly modified into an indusium. The single New Zealand species is also found in Australia, Norfolk Island, and New Caledonia.
1. N. distans, R. Br. Prodr. 146.—Rhizome short, stout, suberect or prostrate, clothed with the bases of the old stipites and with ferruginous linear scales. Stipes 1–4 in. long, stiff, wiry, erect, dark chestnut-brown, more or less clothed with subulate-lanceolate scales. Fronds numerous, tufted at the top of the rhizome, 3–6 in. long without the stipes, ½–1 in. broad, linear-oblong, erect, rigid, subcoriaceous, sparingly villous or hairy above, beneath densely covered with long linear-subulate ferruginous scales, 2-pinnate. Primary pinnæ stipitate, opposite or nearly so, the lower remote, ⅓–⅔ in. long, ovate-deltoid, pinnate at the base, pinnatifid above. Pinnules few, seldom more than 2-3 pairs, ovate-oblong, obtuse, the lowest pinnatifid at the base; margins recurved. Sori forming a continuous line round the margin.—Hook. Ic. Plant. t. 980; Sp. Fil. v. 114; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 46; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 383; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 372; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 774; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 91; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 143, t. 16, f. 3.
North Island: Rocky places from the Bay of Islands to Cook Strait, local. South Island: Near Nelson, T.F.C. Banks Peninsula and other localities in Canterbury, Armstrong, T. H. Potts. Sea-level to 2500ft.
Often confused with Cheilanthes Sieberi, of which it has the habit and general appearance; but a smaller plant, with the frond conspicuously shaggy and scaly beneath.
24. GYMNOGRAMME, Desv.
Rhizome short and tufted or long and creeping. Fronds very various, small or large, pinnate or 2–3-pinnate, rarely simple. Veins simple or forked, or more or less copiously anastomosing, Sori placed on the veins on the under-surface of the fronds, oblong or linear, often elongated, simple or forked. Indusium not developed. Sporangia stalked, bursting transversely, surrounded by an incomplete vertical ring.
As defined above, this is a heterogeneous assemblage of over 100 species, differing greatly from one another in habit, venation, and the arrangement of the sori, and often split up by authors into several small genera. It is widely spread in most tropical countries, but comparatively few species reach the temperate zones.
| Perennial. Fronds pinnate or 2-pinnatifid, subcoriaceous, densely clothed with ferruginous woolly hairs | 1. G. rutæfolia. |
| Annual. Fronds 2–3-pinnate, thin and membranous, quite glabrous | 2. G. leptophylla. |
​1. G. rutæfolia, Hook. and Grev. Ic. Fil. t. 90.—Rhizome short, thick, erect or ascending, clothed with blackish-brown lanceolate scales. Stipes ¼–1 in. long, stout or slender, everywhere densely villous with soft ferruginous woolly often glandular hairs. Fronds 1–3 in. long by about ½ in. broad, linear-oblong, obtuse, subcoriaceous, pinnate; both surfaces densely clothed with soft ferruginous or silvery-brown woolly hairs, many of which are glandular-tipped. Pinnæ alternate, rather distant, ⅛–½ in. long, obovate or rhomboid or flabellate, shortly stipitate and obliquely cuneate at the base, the lowermost with 2–3 shallow lobes or rarely pinnatifid. Veins flabellate. Sori linear-oblong, occupying most of the veins of the under-surface, distinct at first, but often confluent in age.—Hook. Fil. Exot. t. 5; Sp. Fil. v. 137; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 45; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 383; Armstr. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xiii. (1881) 359. G. Pozoi var. rutæfolia, Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 379; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 91; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 144, t. 10, f. 1. G. alpina, Potts in Trans. N.Z. Inst. x. (1878) 361. Grammitis rutaefolia, R. Br. Prodr. 146; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 775. Ceterach rutæfolius, Mett. Fil. Hort. Lips. 80. Pleurosorus rutæfolius, Fèe. Gen. Fil. 180.
North Island: Hawke's Bay—Petane, A. Hamilton! Kuripapanga, E. Hill! Wellington—Cliffs in Cook Strait, Colenso! Cape Terawiti, Field. South Island: Marlborough—D'Urville Island, E. Craig! Brothers Islands, Field. Canterbury—Banks Peninsula, Upper Ashburton, Upper Rangitata, T. H. Potts! Southern Alps, J. D. Enys! Otago—Black's, Petrie. Sea-level to 3500 ft.
Also widely distributed in Australia and Tasmania. It is united by most authors to the European G. Pozoi, which, however, seems to me to differ in the more slender habit, in being much less densely villous, the hairs seldom glandular, and in the narrower oblong (not obovate or flabellate) pinnæ.
2. G. leptophylla, Desv. Journ. Bot. i. 26.—Slender, delicate, annual, 1–6 in. high. Roots fibrous. Stipes ½–3 in. long, slender, brittle, smooth, glossy, bright chestnut-brown. Fronds 1–3 in. long, ½–1 in. broad, ovate or ovate-oblong to oblong-lanceolate; the outer spreading, much shorter and broader, usually sterile; the inner longer and narrower, fertile, erect; pale-green, shining, thin and membranous, quite glabrous, 2–3-pinnate. Pinnæ alternate, stipitate, ¼–½ in. long, again pinnate; secondary rhachises margined throughout. Pinnules few, obovate-cuneate, 2–3-lobed or -partite; lobes linear or linear-oblong, obtuse. Veins forked, a single veinlet only to each lobe. Sori oblong or linear-oblong, usually a single one to each lobe, often becoming confluent and covering the whole pinnule.—Hook. and Grev. Ic. Fil. t. 25; Sp. Fil. v. 136; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 45; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 383; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 383; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 92; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 144, t. 16, f. 6. G. novaæ-zealandiæ, Col. in Tasm. Journ. Nat. Sci. (1845) 5. Grammitis leptophylla, Swartz, Syn. Fil. 218; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 776. Anogramme leptophylla, Link.
North Island: Auckland—Volcanic hills on the Auckland Isthmus, once common, now rare and apparently restricted lo Mount Wellington and Mount Smart, Colenso, &c.; Mount Maunganui (near Tauranga), Mrs. Hetley! East Cape district, Bishop Williams. Hawke's Bay—Scinde Island, Colenso! Ruahine Mountains, H. Tryon! Wellington—Miramar, Buchanan! South Island: Canterbury—Lyttelton Harbour, abundant, T. H. Potts! Otago—Near Dunedin, Purdie; Upper Clutha, Petrie. Sea-level to 1500 ft.
Also in south Europe, North and South Africa, Persia, India, Australia and Tasmania, and South America.
25. GLEICHENIA, Smith.
Rhizome long, creeping, rigid and wiry, often clothed with chaffy scales. Stipes tall, erect or scrambling, usually rather slender. Fronds once or several times dichotomously forked, usually with a terminal bud in the fork, the divisions often spreading in a horizontal plane, ultimate branches pinnately divided. Segments of the pinnæ rather small and broadly ovate or suborbicular, or larger and oblong to linear-lanceolate. Veins free. Sori dorsal, placed on the fork or at the tip of an exterior veinlet, of 2–12 sporangia. Indusium wanting. Sporangia sessile, splitting vertically, completely surrounded by a broad transverse ring.
Species about 26, chiefly tropical, but one species extends as far north as Japan, and 5 are found in New Zealand. Of these, 1 is widely spread in hot countries, 3 extend to Australia and New Caledonia, the remaining 1 is endemic.
* Eugleichenia. Segments of the pinnæ small, suborbicular. Sori solitary at the avex of a veinlet. :
| Segments of the pinnæ flat or slightly recurved. Sporangia 2–4, near the upper inner angle | 1. G. circinata. |
| Segments of the pinnæ with their margins incurved almost to the rhachis, hence pouch-shaped. Sporangia usually 2 | 2. G. dicarpa. |
| ** Mertensia. Segments of the pinnæ linear or linear-oblong, much larger than in the previous section. Sori near the middle or at the fork of a veinlet. ||
| † No accessory pinnæ at the base of the lower forks of the frond. ||
| Fronds umbrella-shaped, rigid and coriaceous. Segments of the pinnæ entire, glaucous beneath. Sporangia 2–5 | 3. G. Cunninghamii. |
| Fronds fan-shaped, submembranous. Segments of the pinnæ serrulate, green on both surfaces. Sporangia 3–5 | 4. G. flabellata. |
| †† A pair of spreading or deflexed accessory pinnæ at the base of the lower forks of the frond. ||
| Fronds repeatedly dichotomous, the ultimate branches ending in a pair of pinnæ 3–12 in. long. Pinnules lanceolate, obtuse, glaucous beneath. Sporangia 6–12 | 5. G. dichotoma. |
1. G. circinata, Swartz, Syn. Fil. 165, 394.—Very variable in size and mode of growth, sometimes stiff, erect, 1–3 ft. high; sometimes weak and scrambling among other vegetation and attaining a length of 3–5 ft. or more. Rhizome long, slender, wiry, often much ​branched, more or less clothed with reddish-brown fimbriate scales. Stipes smooth, slender, cylindrical, glabrous or more or less densely scaly and woolly. Fronds usually repeatedly dichotomous and proliferous from the lower axils; branches zigzag, spreading, often interlaced; rhachides generally clothed with rusty-red stellate hairs often mixed with fimbriate scales, rarely glabrous. Pinnæ numerous along the branches, spreading, ½–2 in. long, 1/12–1/6 in. broad, narrow-linear, uniformly pinnatifid to the base. Segments numerous, closely placed, broadly ovate or orbicular, obtuse, adnate by a broad base, flat or concave beneath, not cucullate nor pouch-shaped, coriaceous or almost membranous, green or glaucous beneath, glabrous or the costa more or less woolly and chaffy. Veins pinnately branched. Sori solitary in the segments, placed at the tip of the exterior veinlet near the upper angle of the segment, of 2–4 sporangia.—Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 11; Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 347 (excl. var. hecistophylla); Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 697; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 25; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 36, t. 2, f. 2. G. semivestita, Lab. Sert. Nov. Cal. 8, t. 11; Hook. Sp. Fil. i. 3, t. 2a; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 5 (excl. var. hecistophylla). G. microphylla, R. Br. Prodr. 161. G. speluncæ, R. Br. Prodr. 160. G. punctulata, Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvi. (1884) 344. G. patens, Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xx. (1888) 212.
North and South Islands, Stewart Island: From the North Cape southwards, plentiful in the North Island, but rare and local to the south of Cook Strait. Sea-level to 2000 ft. Waewaekaka; Waewaematuku.
Common in Australia, also extending to New Caledonia and Malaya. Mr. Colenso's G. patens is an excessively proliferous state with slender almost subscandent stems, forming large masses in heated soil near hot springs at Taupo. The fronds are more membranous than usual, but that and its other peculiarities are easily accounted for by the exceptional nature of its habitat.
2. G. dicarpa, R. Br. Prodr. 161.—Very similar to G. circinata in habit and mode of growth, but smaller, 1–2½ ft. high. Rhizome slender, wiry, usually clothed with chaffy scales. Stipes smooth, slender, glabrous or scaly-hispid. Fronds several times dichotomous, usually proliferous; branches spreading in a horizontal plane, often interlaced; rhachides scaly and hairy or sometimes almost glabrous. Pinnæ numerous along the branches, spreading, ½–1¼ in. long, 1/25–1/10 in. broad, very narrow-linear, deeply and uniformly pinnatifid. Segments numerous, closely placed, small, suborbicular, coriaceous, convex above, the margins so much recurved beneath that the segment is cucullate or pouch-shaped, usually clothed with woolly hairs beneath. Sori one to each segment, just visible in the pocket-like cavity of the segment, or concealed by woolly hairs; sporangia 1–2, rarely more.—Hook. Sp. Fil. i. 3, t. 1c; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 5; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 348; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 698; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 12; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 25; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 37.
Var. hecistophylla.—Usually 1–3 ft. high. Frond much and closely dichotomously branched, usually spreading in a horizontal plane; stipes and rhachis densely woolly and scaly. Segments strongly incurved beneath, sometimes as much as in the typical form, but variable in this respect.—G. hecistophylla, A. Cunn. Precur. n. 163; Hook. Sp. Fil. i. 4, t 2b. G. semi-vestita var. hecistophylla, Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 5. G. circinata var. hecistophylla, Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 348.
Var. alpina, Hook, f. Fl. Tasm. ii. 181.—Smaller and more compactly tufted, 2–12 in. high; rhachis, young shoots, and under-surface of segments densely clothed with ferruginous wool mixed with scales. Fronds much smaller and more sparingly divided.—Handb. N.Z. Fl. 348; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 698. G. alpina, R. Br. Prodr. 161; Hook. and Grev. Ic. Fil. t. 58; Hook. Sp. Fil. i. 2.
North and South Islands, Stewart Island, Chatham Islands: Var. hecistophylla abundant in swampy places on poor soils in the North Island, local elsewhere. Sea-level to 2000 ft. Var. alpina: Mountainous localities from Moehau (Gape Colville) and Rotorua southwards, ascending to 4500 ft.
As a species, G. dicarpa stands very near to G. circinata, principally differing in the smaller segments of the pinnæ, which have their margins incurved almost to the costa, leaving only a narrow slit open, through which the sori are visible unless masked by the ferruginous tomentum. I have followed the "Synopsis Filicum" in placing Cunningham's G. hecistophylla under G. dicarpa, but it has equal claims to be included with G. circinata, which was the position given to it by Sir J. D. Hooker, both in the Flora and the Handbook. The late Baron Mueller justly observed (Veg. Chath. Isl. 63) that it obliterates the limits of the two species. The typical form of G. dicarpa occurs in eastern Australia, New Caledonia, and Malaya, and var. alpina in Tasmania.
3. G. Cunninghamii, Heward ex Hook. Sp. Fil. i. 6, t. 6b.—Usually from 1–3 ft. high, but taller plants are sometimes seen. Rhizome long, branched, creeping, stout and woody, clothed with red-brown lanceolate scales. Stipes stout, erect, grooved down one side, in the young state densely clothed with large deciduous scales, becoming almost glabrous when old. Fronds several times dichotomously branched, the branches usually spreading all round in a horizontal plane and forming an umbrella-like top to the stipes, in large specimens proliferous from the centre, so that frequently there are 2–4 superposed tiers of branches. Ultimate branches or pinnae 3–12 in. long, ½–1¼ in. broad, linear-lanceolate, acuminate, deeply pectinate-pinnatifid above, pinnate below; rhachis usually clothed with deciduous scales and pilose. Segments ⅓–⅔ in. long, ⅛–¼ in. broad, linear, straight or often falcate, acute, quite entire, coriaceous, dark-green and glabrous above, glaucous and usually pilose beneath; margins flat or recurved. Transverse veins numerous, forked near the base. Sori copious, solitary on one of the veinlets, of 2–5 sporangia.—Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 6, t. 71; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 348; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 13; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 26; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 39, t. 7, f. 3. G. ciliata, Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xxix. (1897) 414.
North and South Islands, Stewart Island: In forests from the North Cape southwards, abundant in the North Island, local to the south of Cook Strait. Sea-level to 4000 ft. Umbrella Fern; Tapuwaekotuku.
​Allied to G. flabellata, but the fronds spread in a horizontal plane, and are much more rigid and coriaceous, and the segments are shorter and narrower, quite entire, and glaucous beneath. It appears to be confined to New Zealand.
4. G. flabellata, R. Br. Prodr. 161.—From 1 to 4 ft. high. Rhizome long, stout, branched, more or less clothed with reddish-brown laciniate scales. Stipes erect, cylindrical below, subcompressed above, slightly scaly or almost glabrous. Fronds several times dichotomously branched, ascending and fan-shaped, not spreading in a horizontal plane, often proliferous from the lower forks, so that there are sometimes 2–3 tiers of superposed branches. Ultimate branches or pinnæ 4–12 in. long, 1–2 in. broad, lanceolate, acuminate or caudate, deeply pectinate-pinnatifid or pinnate towards the base. Segments close-set, ascending, ½–1 in. long, narrow-linear, subacute, serrulate towards the tip, dilated at the base, green on both surfaces, glabrous above, often more or less scaly-pubescent beneath. Transverse veins numerous, forked near the base. Sori copious, solitary on one of the veinlets, of 3–5 sporangia.—A. Cunn. Precur. n. 164; Raoul, Choix, 37; Hook. Sp. Fil. i. 6; Fil. Exot. t. 71; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 6; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 348; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 12; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 698; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 26; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 41, t, 8, f. 1. G. littoralis, Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvi. (1884) 344.
North Island: Auckland—Not uncommon by the side of streams, &c., from the North Cape to the Bay of Islands, rare and local southwards to the Kauaeranga River (Thames) and the Manukau Harbour.
Also in Australia, ranging from Queensland to Tasmania, and in New Caledonia. Mr. Colenso's G. littoralis is certainly nothing more than a dwarf state, usually occurring near the sea.
5. G. dichotoma, Hook. f. Sp. Fil. i. 12.— Usually from 2 to 4 ft. high, but sometimes dwarfed to a few inches, and occasionally reaching 6 ft. Rhizome long, slender, clothed with narrow reddish-brown bristly scales Stipes slender, smooth and polished. Fronds repeatedly dichotomous or trichotomous, the ultimate branches ending in a pair of pinnae 3–12 in. long; a pair of smaller spreading or deflexed pinnae is also placed at the base of the lower forks. Pinnae lanceolate, acuminate, pinnatifid almost to the base. Segments close, spreading, ½–1 in. long, linear, entire, obtuse or emarginate, glaucous beneath and sometimes pubescent on the costa, firm or more or less membranous, pale-green. Veins transversely spreading from the costa, each one pinnately divided from near the base into 3–6 veinlets. Sori solitary on an exterior veinlet, of 6–12 sporangia.—Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 15; Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 747; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 698; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 27; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 39, t. 4, f. 1. G. Hermanni, R. Br. Prodr. 161. Mertensia dichotoma, Willd. Polypodium dichotomum, Thunb. Fl. Jap. 338, t. 37.
North Island: Auckland—In heated soil near hot springs; Rotomahana, Captain G. Mair! Kirk! (in this locality destroyed by the eruption of Tarawera in 1886); Otumakokori and Orakeikorako, Kirk! T.F.C.; Karapiti, Hochstetter; Wairakei, Norton! Field, T.F.C.; hot springs near Matata, Captain G. Mair. Sea-level to 1600 ft.
Almost universal in tropical and subtropical countries. Forster, in his "Esculent Plants" (p. 75), recorded it as a native of New Zealand, and stated that the roots were eaten by the Natives; but as he only collected in the South Island it is extremely improbable that he ever saw it in New Zealand, and there is no other record of the roots being eaten.
26. SCHIZÆA, Smith.
Rhizome short, thick, creeping. Stipes rigid, wiry, erect. Fronds simple or forked or dichotomously branched, flat or terete, very narrow, without expanded laminæ. Sori on the under-surface of fertile segments terminating the frond or its branches, each segment consisting of a number of crowded linear pinnæ, those of the opposite sides being usually applied to one another so as to conceal the under-surface. Sporangia ovoid, sessile, splitting vertically, crowned by a complete transverse ring, arranged in 2 or rarely 4 rows on the under-surface of the pinnæ of the fertile segments.
A small genus of about 18 species, dispersed through the tropical or warm temperate regions of both hemispheres. Two of the New Zealand species are widely distributed; the third extends to Australia alone.
| Fronds smooth, terete or nearly so, undivided | - |
| Fronds scabrous, terete or obscurely compressed, forked or rarely twice-forked | 2. S. bifida. |
| Fronds smooth, compressed, repeatedly dichotomously forked, flabellate | 3. S. dichotoma. |
1. S. fistulosa, Labil. Pl. Nov. Holl. ii. 103, t. 250.—Rhizome short, thick, creeping, clothed with dark chestnut-brown linear scales. Fronds numerous towards the end of the rhizome, not distinct from the stipes, dark-brown below, greenish-brown above, 4–12 in. long, 1/40 in. broad, filiform, erect or flexuous, rigid, wiry, terete, grooved down the face, unbranched. Fertile segment terminating the frond, ½–1 in. long, erect or suberect, consisting of 10–20 closely placed pinnæ on each side; pinnæ all pointing in one direction, ⅛–¼ in. long, linear, incurved at the tip; margins denticulate or fringed. Sporangia in 2 closely placed rows, covering the whole of the under-surface.—Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 749; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 429; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 693; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 95; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 150, t. 14, f. 5. S. propinqua, A. Cunn. Precur. n. 168.
Var. australis, Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 749.—Smaller, 1–3 in. high; rhizome stouter in proportion. Fertile segment ¼–⅓ in. long, of 6–8 pairs of pinnæ.—S. australis, Gaud. Fl. Ins. Mal. 98; Hook. f. Fl. Antarct. i. 111; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 428; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 95. S. palmata, Homb. and Jacq. Voy. au, Pôle Sud, Crypt. t. 4, f. 2.
​North and South Islands, Chatham Islands, Auckland Islands: The typical form not uncommon in barren clay soils throughout the North Island, apparently rare and local to the south of Cook Strait. Var. australis: Cold peaty localities in mountain districts from Moehau (Cape Colville) southwards, descending to sea-level in Stewart Island and the Auckland Islands. Sea-level to 4000 ft.
Also in Australia and Tasmania, New Caledonia, Madagascar, Chili, and the Falkland Islands. S. australis is clearly only a depauperated form, connected with the type by transitional stages.
2. S. bifida, Swartz, Syn. Fil. 151.—Rhizome very short, stout, creeping. Fronds close together along the rhizome, not distinct from the stipes, 6–12 in. high or more, about 1/30 in. diam., rigid, erect, wiry, more or less scabrous, somewhat flattened, with a prominent midrib and narrow thick wing on each side, usually forked at or below the middle, rarely undivided, the branches sometimes forked a second time. Fertile segments terminating the branches, ½–¾ in. long, erect or slightly recurved, rather broader than in S. fistulosa, of 10–20 closely placed pinnæ on each side. Pinnæ all turned to the one side, ⅙–⅓ in. long, linear, fringed with long cilia. Sporangia in 2 closely placed rows, rather smaller than in S. fistulosa.—A. Rich. Fl. Nouv. Zel. 95; A. Cunn. Precur. n. 169; Raoul, Choix, 37; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 47, and Handb. N.Z. Fl. 385 (in part); Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 429; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 693; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 96; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 151, t. 12, f. 3.
North Island: On sterile clay or pumiceous soils from the North Cape to Cook Strait, but often local. South Island: Nelson—Takaka and Paramahoi, Kingsley. Sea-level to 2000 ft.
Also in Australia and Tasmania. Unbranched specimens are best distinguished from S. fistulosa by the scabrous frond and broader fertile segment.
3. S. dichotoma, Swartz, Syn. Fil. 151.—Rhizome short, stout, creeping. Fronds few or many, close together, 6–14 in. long, erect, rigid, wiry; lower portion or stipes angular, channelled in front; upper portion repeatedly dichotomous, forming a flabellate or deltoid frond 2–4 in. across or more; branches flattened, 1/20–1/12 in. broad; midrib stout, evident; margins sometimes minutely toothed towards the tip. Fertile segments terminating the branches, distinctly stalked, erect or inclined, ¼–⅓ in. long, consisting of 4–10 spreading pinnæ on each side; pinnæ ⅛–¼ in. long, linear, fringed with long hairs. Sporangia in two closely placed rows.—Hook. and Grev. Ic. Fil. t. 17; A. Cunn. Precur. n. 170; Raoul, Choix, 37; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 47; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 385; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 430; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 694; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 96; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 151, t. 24, f, 2.
North Island: Auckland—In kauri forests from Kaitaia and Mongonui southwards to Tairua and the Lower Waikato, not common; in heated soil near hot springs at Orakeikorako, Upper Waikato, Kirk, C. J. Norton! Sea-level to 1500 ft.
A widely spread species, found in the tropical and warm temperate regions of both hemispheres, with the exception of Africa.
27. LYGODIUM, Swartz.
Climbing ferns, with long twining stems, often ascending trees to a considerable height. Primary pinnæ distant on the common rhachis or stem, and inserted on it by a short and often almost obsolete petiole, dichotomously divided; the secondary divisions divaricate, stalked, usually again dichotomous, or in species not found in New Zealand pinnately divided. Sterile pinnules ovate to oblong-lanceolate, ligulate; fertile usually much contracted and frequently copiously divided. Sporangia ovoid, obliquely sessile, splitting vertically, crowned by a complete transverse ring, arranged in two rows on the under-surface of the contracted fertile pinnules, or forming short spikes projecting from the margins of the leafy pinnules, each sporangium in the axil of a large scale-like indusium.
A very distinct genus of about 20 species, widely distributed in the tropics of both hemispheres. The single New Zealand species is endemic.
1. L. articulatum, A. Rich. Fl. Nouv. Zel. 96, t. 15.—Rhizome slender, creeping, clothed with glossy chestnut-brown linear scales. Stipites very numerous, long, slender, climbing, reaching the tops of tall forest-trees, branched, wiry, often intertwined and forming almost impenetrable screens, quite smooth and glabrous. Primary pinnæ dichotomously palmate-partite; primary petiole short, ⅙–½ in. long; two secondary petioles widely diverging, 1 in. or more long, again twice forked; pinnules 2–4 in. long, ⅓–½ in. broad, jointed at the base, ligulate-oblong or oblong-lanceolate, obtuse or subacute, thinly coriaceous, often glaucous beneath. Veins free. Fertile pinnæ many times dichotomous, the ultimate pinnules small, much contracted, cuneate or flabellate, deeply lobed; the lobes ending in closely placed short spikelets, each with 8–12 sporangia on the under-surface.—A. Cunn. Precur. n. 167; Raoul, Choix, 37; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 47; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 385; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 437; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 96; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 152, t. 22, f. 4. L. gracilescens, Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xxviii. (1896) 620.
North Island: Auckland—In woods from the North Cape to the Bay of Plenty and Kawhia, abundant. Mange-mange. Sea-level to 2500 ft.
The tough and wiry twining stems were formerly twisted into ropes by the Maoris and used for securing the thatch on the roofs of their houses; and they were also employed for making eel-traps.
28. TODEA, Willd.
Rhizome stout, erect, sometimes forming a short thick trunk. Fronds tufted at the top of the rhizome, large, coriaceous and opaque, or membranous or pellucid, 2–3-pinnate. Veins simple or forked, not anastomosing. Sori on the under-surface of the frond, of few or many sporangia, placed upon the lateral veinlets proceeding from the costa, either large and covering the greater part of the veinlet, or small and placed at its base. Indusium wanting. Sporangia short-stalked or nearly sessile, splitting vertically, ring rudimentary, transverse.
A small genus of 5 or 6 species, found in Australia, New Zealand, Melanesia, and South Africa. One of the New Zealand species extends both to Australia and South Africa, the remaining two are endemic. Although I have followed Mr. Baker in reducing Leptopteris to a section of Todea, I am inclined to think that it would be better treated as a distinct genus.
A. Todea. Fronds coriaceous, opaque. Sori large, of numerous sporangia. :
| Fronds 2–6 ft. long, 2-pinnate | 1. T. barbara. |
| B. Leptopteris. Fronds membranous, pellucid. Sori small, of few sporangia. ||
| Fronds 1–2 ft. long, truncate at the base, the lower pinnæ not reduced in size | 2. T. hymenophylloides. |
| Fronds 1½–4 ft. long, narrowed at the base, the lower pinnæ gradually reduced in size | 3. T. superba. |
1. T. barbara, Moore, Ind. Fil. 95.—Rhizome stout, erect, sometimes forming a trunk as much as 4 ft. high and 2 ft. diam. Stipes 1–2 ft. long or more, stout, erect, quite smooth. Fronds 2–4 ft. long, 9–12 in. broad, oblong-lanceolate, acute, dark-green, coriaceous, opaque, quite glabrous, 2-pinnate. Primary pinnæ numerous, close, erecto-patent, 4–10 in. long or more, ½–2 in. broad, lanceolate. Pinnules 1–1½ in. long, ⅙–¼ in. broad, linear or linear-lanceolate, acute, serrate, the uppermost confluent. Sori towards the base of the frond, usually occupying nearly the whole of the under-surface of the lower pinnules of the lower pinnae, the remainder of the frond sterile.—Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 427; Bot. Mag. t. 5954; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 699; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 93; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 148, t. 26, f. 1. T. africana, Willd. in Schrift. Acad. zu Erfurt (1802) 14, t. 3, f. 1; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 48 and 338; Fl. Tasm. ii. 153, t. 178; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 384. Osmunda barbara, Thunb. Fl. Cap. 171. Acrostichum barbarum, Linn. Sp. Plant. 1529.
North Island: Auckland—Abundant in open gullies from the North Cape to Mongonui, and from thence more sparingly southwards to Whangaroa.
Also in Australia, from Queensland to Tasmania, and in South Africa. In Australia the rhizome is often enlarged into a short and massive trunk sometimes weighing as much as a ton and a half, but I have seen no New Zealand specimens as large.
​2. T. hymenophylloides, A. Rich. Fl. Nouv. Zel. 97, t. 16.—Rhizome stout, erect, often produced into a short thick caudex. Stipes 6–12 in. long, slender, wiry, erect, brownish-green, smooth and glabrous or more or less clothed with floccose tomentum. Fronds forming a crown at the top of the rhizome, 1–2½ ft. long, 6–12 in. broad, ovate-deltoid to lanceolate-deltoid, acuminate, truncate at the base, very thin and membranous, pellucid, dark-green, 3-pinnatifid; rhachis and costæ more or less clothed with reddish-brown floccose hairs or nearly glabrous. Primary pinnæ rather close, 3–6 in. long, ¾–1½ in. broad, lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, acuminate, the lower ones not gradually reduced in size and becoming very small. Pinnules close-set, ½–¾ in. long, about ¼ in. broad, linear-oblong, deeply pinnatifid. Segments linear, erecto-patent, acute, entire or forked or sometimes trifid. Sporangia on the midrib of the segments, usually confined to the lower half.—Hook. Gen. Ferns. t. 46b; Garden Ferns, t. 54; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 427; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 93; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 148, t. 4, f. 3. T. pellucida, Hook. and Grev. in Bot. Misc. iii. 232; Hook. Ic. Plant. t. 8. T. marginata, Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xxix. (1897) 419. Leptopteris hymenophylloides, Presl; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 48; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 384.
North and South Islands, Stewart Island: From the North Cape southwards, not uncommon in forest districts. Sea-level to 3000 ft.
Confined to New Zealand. A state with the pinnæ rather more closely placed, and with the lower ones more or less reduced in size, approaches T. superba, and is often distinguished as var. intermedia by fern-collectors.
3. T. superba, Col. in Tasmanian Journ. Nat. Sci. (1845) 28.—Rhizome stout, forming a thick erect caudex 1–3 ft. high, coated with densely matted fibrous rootlets. Stipes 1–4 in. long, stout, erect, more or less densely tomentose. Fronds forming a handsome spreading crown at the top of the rhizome, 1½–4 ft. long, 6–10 in. broad, lanceolate, acuminate, very gradually narrowed to the base, dark-green, thin and membranous, pellucid, 3-pinnatifid; rhachis stout, densely woolly-tomentose, as are the secondary rhachises. Primary pinnæ very numerous, close-set, the longest ones about the middle of the frond, 3–6 in. long, ½–¾ in. broad, linear or linear-lanceolate, acuminate; the lower ones gradually diminishing in size, the lowermost minute. Pinnules very close, much overlapping, ¼–½ in. long, linear-oblong, pinnatifid almost to the base. Segments narrow-linear, simple or forked. Sporangia much as in T. hymenophylloides.—Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 428; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 94; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 149, t. 21, f. 4. Leptopteris superba, Hook. Ic. Plant, t. 910; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 48; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 384.
North and South Islands, Stewart Island: In dense moist forests from Te Aroha and Pirongia southwards, not uncommon, except in Marlborough, Canterbury, and the north of Otago, where it is rare and local. Crape-fern; Prince of Wales's Feather. Sea-level to 3500 ft.
​Probably the most beautiful fern in New Zealand. It is closely allied to the preceding, and is connected with it by intermediate forms. Usually, however, it is readily distinguished by the larger and narrower frond, which tapers very gradually to the base, and by the closer and denser pinnules, which overlap considerably, the segments often turning up towards the upper side of the frond.
29. MARATTIA, Smith.
Rhizome large, thick and swollen. Fronds numerous, large, 2–3-pinnate; stipes stout, articulated at the base, and furnished with two adnate auricles. Veins all free. Sori oblong, placed at or near the tip of the veins, close to the margin of the pinnules, each sorus consisting of two parallel rows containing 4–12 sporangia, the sporangia of each row completely united into a boat-shaped mass called a synangium. Synangia coriaceous, the outer face smooth and convex, the inner flat and pierced by the narrow transverse slits of the dehiscent sporangia. Spores globose-tetrahedral.
A small genus of 8–10 species, widely scattered through the tropical regions of both hemispheres and the warmer part of the south temperate zone. The single New Zealand species is found in Australia and Polynesia, South Africa, Malaya, Philippines, and India.
1. M. fraxinea, Smith, Ic. Ined. t. 48.—Rhizome a large irregularly shaped tuberous mass. Stipes stout, 1–2 ft. long or more, brownish-green, jointed at the base and furnished with large clasping auricles which are persistent on the rhizome. Fronds large, in fully grown specimens 6–12 ft. long, 2–5 ft. broad, ovate-deltoid, dark-green and glossy, coriaceous, 2-pinnate or rarely 3-pinnate. Primary pinnæ 9 in. to 3 ft. long, often more than 1 ft. broad; pinnules shortly stalked, 3–6 in. long, ½–1 in. broad, lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, acuminate, obliquely cuneate or rounded at the base; margins minutely serrulate; costa slightly scaly. Veins rather close, parallel, simple or sparingly forked. Sori oblong, brownish, 1/10–1/8 in. long, on the veins just within the margin of the pinnules; sporangia 8-12 to each synangium.—Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 440; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 695; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 97; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 153, t. 25, f. 5. M. salicina, Smith in Rees Cyclop. 89; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 49; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 386.
North Island: Lowland forests from Mongonui southwards to Cape Egmont and Waitotara, not common, usually in rich damp soils. Para; Parareka. Sea-level to 1000 ft.
The large starchy rhizome was formerly eaten by the Maoris, and hence the plant was occasionally cultivated near their villages. It is now fast becoming rare.
30. OPHIOGLOSSUM, Linn.
Rhizome usually short and suberect, sometimes slightly tuberous or nodose; roots thick and fleshy, simple, sometimes giving rise to adventitious buds. Fronds solitary or 2–3 at the top of the rhizome, not circinate, stipitate, fleshy, composed of ​two portions: one a leafy more or less expanded sterile lamina, with reticulated venation; the other a narrow and much-contracted spike-like fertile part, which is inserted on the petiole or lamina of the sterile portion by a peduncle of variable length. Sporangia closely packed in 2 rows on the fertile spike and partly imbedded in its tissue, globose, not annulate, dehiscing by a transverse slit; spores numerous, tetrahedral.
A small genus, widely spread in both temperate and tropical regions. There is much uncertainty as to the limits of the species, which are estimated by some authors at 8–10, and by others at 30 or more. In the present work I have followed Mr. Baker in treating the New Zealand species as forms only of the northern O. lusitanicum and O. vulgatum; but in Prantl's revision of the genus, given in the Jahrbuch of the Botanical Garden of Berlin for 1884, an arrangement which is now largely followed by European botanists, they are considered to be distinct. Prantl's classification depends largely on characters drawn from the rhizome, the venation of the sterile frond, and the size of the spores, and is somewhat difficult to use in the absence of authenticated specimens.
| Fronds ½–5 in.; sterile lamina ¼–2 in. × ⅛–⅓ in., linear-lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate, attenuated at the base. Fertile spike ¼–¾ in. | 1. O. lusitanicum. |
| Fronds 4–10 in.; sterile lamina ¾–3 in. × ½–1½ in., ovate, shortly cuneate at the base. Fertile spike ¾–1½ in. | 2. O. vulgatum. |
1. O. lusitanicum, Linn. Sp. Plant. 1518.—Rhizome cylindric, suberect, slightly tuberous; roots fleshy. Fronds 1–3 from the rhizome, ½–5 in. long including the petiole and fertile spike; the sterile lamina usually placed below the middle and often conspicuously so, ½–2 in. long, ⅛–⅓ in. broad, linear-lanceolate to lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, acute or obtuse, narrowed into a long cuneate base, fleshy and coriaceous. Veins indistinct, reticulated in narrow areoles. Fertile spike ¼–¾ in. long, on a long slender peduncle inserted at the base of the sterile lamina and much exceeding it when mature. Sporangia 6–15 in each row.—Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 445; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 98; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 155, t. 21, f. 7. O. vulgatum, var. gramineum, lusitanicum, and minimum, Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 50; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 386. O. coriaceum, A. Cunn. Precur. n. 161. O. minimum, Col. ex Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 445. O. minimum, Amstr. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xiii. (1881) 342.
Kermadec Islands, North and South Islands: Not uncommon throughout, ascending to 3500 ft.
This, so far as New Zealand is concerned, consists of the varieties gramineum, lusitanicum, and minimum of the O. vulgatum of the Flora and the Handbook. Prantl considered the first two to form a distinct species, for which he retained Cunningham's name of O. coriaceum. He further suggested that var. minimum might be identical with his O. lanceolatum, from northern Queensland, but without access to the original specimens it is impossible to decide. O. coriaceum is also found in Australia and South America.
​2. O. vulgatum, Linn. Sp. Plant. 1518.—Rhizome short, cylindric, often knotty; roots long, fleshy. Fronds 1–2 from the rhizome, 4–12 in. long including the petiole and fertile spike; the sterile lamina placed near the middle or slightly below it, ¾–3 in. long, ½–1½ in. broad, ovate or ovate-lanceolate or ovate-rhomboid, obtuse or subacute, truncate or cuneate at the base, rather fleshy, venation reticulated. Fertile spike ¾–1½ in. long, on a slender peduncle inserted just below the sterile lamina and much overtopping it. Sporangia variable in number, 15–50 in each row.— Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 50, and Handb. N.Z. Fl. 386 (in part); Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 445; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 98; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 155, t. 21, f. 6. O. costatum, R. Br. Prodr. 163. O. elongatum, A. Cunn. Precur. n. 162.
North and South Islands, Chatham Islands: From the North Cape to Foveaux Strait, plentiful in moist grassy places, by the margins of swamps, &c. Sea-level to 2000 ft.
As defined by Hooker and Baker in the "Synopsis Filicum" this is almost cosmopolitan; but by many authors it is split up into a considerable number of species with a more restricted range. Most of the New Zealand forms correspond with O. costatum, R. Br. (O. elongatum, A. Cunn.), which is kept up as a distinct species by Prantl, under the name of O. pedunculosum, Desv., and which ranges from New Zealand and Australia northwards to Malaya, Ceylon, India, Philippines, and Japan.
31. BOTRYCHIUM, Swartz.
Rhizome short, suberect, emitting numerous long fleshy branching roots. Fronds solitary or rarely two at the top of the rhizome, not circinate, stipitate, thick and fleshy, composed of two divisions: the posterior sterile, pinnate or 2–3-pinnate or decompound; the anterior fertile, of numerous branched spikes forming a pedunculate panicle, the peduncle usually long, inserted on the petiole below the sterile lamina. Sporangia closely packed and sessile in two rows along the branches of the panicle, free, globose, not annulate, dehiscing by a transverse slit; spores numerous, tetrahedral.
Species variously estimated at from 6 to 15, according to the different views of authors. Found in most temperate or extratropical regions, rare in very hot climates. Both the New Zealand species are widely distributed.
| Sterile segment of the frond simply pinnate; fertile bipinnate | 1. B. lunaria. |
| Sterile and fertile segments both decompound | 2. B. ternatum. |
1. B. lunaria, Swartz, Syn. Fil. 171.—Rhizome short, tuberous. Fronds solitary at the top of the rhizome or rarely 2 together, 3–6 in. high; stipes stout, terete, glabrous, with 1 or 2 brownish sheathing scales at the base. Sterile lamina at about the middle of the frond, ¾–3 in. long, ½–1 in. broad, oblong or linear-oblong, rather fleshy, simply pinnate; pinnae 3–6 pairs, close-set, lunate or flabel​late, entire or more or less deeply crenate-toothed. Veins flabellate, radiating from the base. Fertile segment equalling or exceeding the sterile, pedunculate, ½–3 in. long, lanceolate-deltoid, 2-pinnate; the divisions all turned to one side, narrow, thickly covered with the yellowish sporangia.—Hook. f. Fl. Tasm. 154; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 447; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 690; Enys in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvi. (1884) 363; Kirk, l.c. 366; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 156, t. 21, f. 8.
South Island: Canterbury—South-western slopes of Mount Torlesse, alt. 2700 ft., J. D. Enys!
Not uncommon in the temperate and cool mountainous portions of the Northern Hemisphere, and in Patagonia and Australia in the Southern. The few New Zealand specimens that I have seen are much under the average size of the species in Europe or North America, but I can see no other difference.
2. B. ternatum, Swartz, Syn. Fil. 172.—Rhizome short, stout, emitting numerous long and fleshy almost tuberous roots. Fronds solitary, 6–18 in. long or more. Stipes 1–3 in. long from the rhizome to the forking of the sterile and fertile segments, stout, thick and fleshy, terete. Sterile segment long-peduncled, variable in size, usually from 3–6 in. broad and long, but large specimens sometimes reach 9–12 in., and small ones are often dwarfed to less than 2 in., broadly deltoid, tripartite at the base, the divisions usually petiolate, 2–4-pinnate; the ultimate pinnules oblong or ovate, toothed or crenate or almost entire; texture thick and fleshy. Fertile segment on a stout or slender peduncle 4–12 in. long or more, usually overtopping the sterile segment; panicle 1½–6 in. long, nearly as broad at the base, much branched, 3–4-pinnate. Sporangia very numerous.—Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 448; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 690; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 99; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 157, t. 20, f. 5, 5a. B. virginianum, Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 50 (not of Swartz). B. cicutarium, Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 387 (not of Swartz). B. australe, R. Br. Prodr. 164; A. Cunn. Precur. n. 160; Raoul, Choix, 37; Prantl, Syst. Ophiogl. 340.
Var. dissectum.—Frond more slender; sterile segment much more finely divided, the ultimate pinnules laciniately cut into narrow lobes and teeth.—B. dissectum, Muhl. ex Willd. Sp. Plant. v. 64. B. australe var. millefolium, Prantl, Syst. Ophiogl. 341. B. biforme, Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xviii. (1886) 223.
North and South Islands, Chatham Islands: The ordinary form abundant from the North Cape to the south of Otago; var. dissectum often local. Sea-level to 3500 ft.
Also in extratropical North America, Asia, and in Australia and Tasmania. Very variable throughout its range, and separated by Prantl and other authorities into 7 or 8 distinct species, the New Zealand forms being placed under B. australe, R. Br.