Flora of New Zealand Series

Rhizomes far-creeping, scaly. Stipes and rachises stiffly hairy. Laminae ovate or broadly ovate, 15-35 × 10-25 cm, (2)-3-pinnate. Primary pinnae alternate, 2-5 on each side of rachis bearing secondary pinnae, and a terminal portion with 10-18 undivided primary pinnae on each side. Ultimate pinnules ± oblong or parallelogrammoid, often curved acroscopically at the apices, 6-25 × 3-8 mm; stalk attached at proximal corner; upper and outer margins deeply lobed, lower and inner margins entire; both surfaces glabrous, dark green. Indusia ± reniform with prominent sinuses, glabrous, up to 14 per pinnule on upper and outer margins, sometimes extending to apical part of lower margin.

N.: coastal localities from N. Auckland to Hauraki Plains and Waikato, scattered coastal sites in Taranaki S. to Wellington City; S.: Nelson (Cape Farewell, Mt Arthur), Marlborough (Sounds district).

Endemic.

Coastal forest, cliffs and seepages.

This sp. is very similar to A. fulvum but differs in lacking hairs on the undersides of the pinnules, and having rather more deeply lobed pinnules. It was first described by Colenso (loc. cit.), but was placed in synonymy under A. fulvum by most authors until reinstated by Parris, B. S. and Croxall, J. P., New Zealand J. Bot. 12 : 227-233 (1974), who gave a detailed comparison with A. cunninghamii, A. fulvum, and the Australian A. silvaticum Tindale. A. viridescens is most closely related to A. silvaticum.