Flora of New Zealand Series

Rhizomes short, erect. Stipes and rachises densely scaly; scales narrow, dull, usually uniformly blackish brown but rarely having narrow pale borders, with expanded colourless fimbriate bases. Laminae very variable, narrowly oblong, elliptic, ovate, or almost triangular, 2- to almost 3-pinnate, 10-50 × 4-25 cm. Primary pinnae in 10-30 pairs, ovate to narrowly ovate, the longest 2-13 × 1-5 cm. Secondary pinnae in 5-20 pairs, ovate to narrowly ovate with a basal acroscopic lobe, the longest 7-30 × 5-12 mm, very variable in dissection, from ± entire with obtuse apices to deeply dissected (almost to midrib) with sharply pointed apices. Sori round, protected by ± flat peltate indusia with black centres and pale margins.

N.: throughout except for higher montane areas and alpine regions; S.: Nelson, Marlborough, E. Canterbury, isolated records in Otago; St.; Ch.

Endemic.

Coastal rocks, dry banks, bush margins and forest from sea level to lower montane areas.

P. richardii is extremely polymorphic in frond dissection, texture, colour and scale characters. Fronds vary from 2-pinnate to almost 3-pinnate, from flaccid and leathery to harsh and brittle, and from dark blue-green to olive green. The secondary pinnae vary from almost entire with obtuse apices to deeply dissected with sharp points, and the scales from narrowly triangular to almost hair-like. The variation is clinal and not amenable to taxonomic treatment. The sp. can always be recognised by its indusia with black centres, and scales with fimbriate bases.