Flora of New Zealand Series

Terrestrial or epiphytic ferns. Rhizomes erect, scaly, often producing wiry runners and tubers. Fronds 1-pinnate, brittle, scaly at least on stipes; veins free. Sori round, borne on vein-endings near lamina margin, protected by ± round, reniform, or crescent-shaped indusia attached basally. Spores monolete.

c. 25 spp., mostly tropical or subtropical. Native spp. 2, naturalised 1.

Nephrolepis is in urgent need of revision; discrimination of spp. is often difficult and many names appear to be commonly misapplied. In particular, no satisfactory treatments of the N. cordifolia and N. exaltata complexes have yet emerged. Nephrolepis spp. are widely cultivated as sword ferns or Boston ferns, and many hundreds of horticultural forms and monstrosities are known, including 2- and 3-pinnate variants, which complicate the taxonomy. The principal cultivated spp. and their horticultural forms were described by Morton, C. V., Amer. Fern Jour. 48 : 18-27 (1958).

Fig. 2. Nephrolepis. A-B N. cordifolia, A plant, B pinnae; C N. aff. cordifolia, pinnae. © All rights reserved. [Image: 4X4B]