Flora of New Zealand Series

Type locality: Ruahine Range. Type: K, Colenso. Endemic.

Rhizome 2-4 mm. diam., far-creeping, branched; glabrate to rather densely clad in hairs; stipites often approximate. Stipes us. pale brown except towards reddish base, glabrate to sparingly hairy, 7-25 cm. (sts longer) × 3-4 mm. Rhachis (and costae) pale brown to stramineous, sts darker, with scattered hairs. Primary pinnae distant, subopp. to alt. Lamina pale green, membr., broadly ovate to deltoid, 15-45 × 7-25 cm. Lower primary pinnae 20-25 × 5-10 cm., ovate-oblong, acuminate; upper gradually diminishing to terminal seg. Secondary pinnae up to 6 × 2 cm., narrow ovate-oblong, pinnatisect to pinnate, attenuate; tertiary up to 1cm. × 4 mm., in subopp. pairs, ovate-oblong, confluent or not at base, pinnatifid to pinnatisect. Segs 2-5 mm. long, cut deeply into narrow-triangular, acute to apiculate teeth. Sori us. cop., up to 40 per pinnule, often clustered near sinuses, hardly 1 mm. diam., not or hardly protected.

DIST.: N., S., St., A., C., Ant. Montane to lowland forest from lat. 38º southwards, rather local in N.

C. and A. specimens have stipes, rhachis and costae more hairy, especially at axils, and of darker colour; laminae 10-30 × 9-10 cm.; segs less deeply and more bluntly toothed. Similar forms occur in montane forest in the fiord region.