Flora of New Zealand Series

Litobrochia macilenta Brack. U.S. Expl. Exped. Bot. 16, 1854, 106.

Type: P.

Rhizome very short, ascending, paleate, bearing bases of fallen stipites; stipites crowded, paleate at base. Stipes 10-30 cm. long, dark brown towards paleate base, pale brown above, smooth; paleae dark brown, linear-attenuate. Rhachis smooth, stramineous, with alt. to subopp. pinnae. Lamina 20-90 × 15-50 cm., pale green, membr., flaccid, broadly deltoid, 2-3-pinnate, minutely punctate. Veins anastomosing, at least along costules. Primary pinnae 15-30 × 10-15 cm., deltoid to ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, alt. to subopp., distant, often long-stalked. Secondary stalked, alt. to subopp., ovate, acuminate, 5-10 × 2-5 cm. Tertiary pinnae up to 4 cm. × 15 mm., ovate to narrowly ovate-oblong, acute to acuminate; lower subsessile, upper confluent; final segs acutely toothed. Fertile pinnules hardly differing in shape from sterile. Sori us. cop., rather short, along sinuses; tips of segs quite barren.

DIST.: N., S. to lat. 42º 30' west of divide. Also recorded for Banks Peninsula, .not listed by Martin (loc. cit.). Endemic. Type locality:? "Crescit in Nova-Zeelandia."