Flora of New Zealand Series

A. viridescens Col. in T.N.Z.I. 27, 1895, 400.

Type locality: " Peninsula Banksiana inter arbusta humentia ad rivulos. " Type: P? Endemic.

Rhizome rather slender, creeping, clad in dark to bright brown subulate-attenuate paleae, c. 3 mm. long; stipites often approximate. Stipes rather stout, black-brown, scabrid, ± clad in slender hairs, paleate in lower portion, 10-30 cm. long. Rhachis similar, flexuose, ± clad in dark to fulvous stiff hairs, as are secondary rhachides and costae. Lamina ovate-deltoid to deltoid, 2-3-pinnate, 15-40 × 7-24 cm., olive to pale green, firm; lower surface ± clad in setulose hairs. Primary pinnae up to 15 × 7 cm., alt. distant, ovate-deltoid, with 2-4 lateral and a terminal pinna. Secondary pinnae rather distant, up to 8 × 2 cm. Pinnules up to 2.5 cm. × 5 mm., very shortly stalked, approximate, dimidiately narrow-oblong, ± subfalcate; lower margin entire, concave-convex; upper margin with alternately shallow and rather deep crenate to serrate lobes. Sporangia in sinuses of shallow lobes, protected by reniform reflexed margins, in about 6 rather distant groups.

DIST.: N., S. Lowland forest from near North Cape to Banks Peninsula.

A. viridescens Col. in T.N.Z.I. 27, 1895, 400, was described from specimens collected in " Wooded district, Kumeroa, near the River Manawatu. " Colenso distinguishes it from A. fulvum by: " Smaller size (stipe 4-5 in.; frond 5-6 in.) bright-green, thin glabrous shining narrow finely cut and more stipitate pinnules, large orbicular hyaline and flat involucres, largely-branched compound venation, and its very hairy and scaly bright red-brown stipe and rhachises. " There is a frond in W so named, but without locality; it does not show Colenso's differentiating characters at all clearly.

Forms intermediate between A. cunninghamii and A. fulvum occur, and some at least of these may be due to hybridism.