Flora of New Zealand Series

Polypodium tenellum Forst. f. Prodr. 1786, 81. 

Forster gives no locality.

Rhizome elongate, sparingly branched, up to 1 m. or more long, c. 2 mm. diam., densely clad in brown subulate-attenuate paleae; stipites distant. Stipes 2-6 cm. long, pale brown, ± clad, especially towards base, in subulate paleae; rhachis us. with scattered paleae. Lamina 10-25-(60) × 5-10-(15) cm., membr. to subcoriac., dark green, ovate-to lanceolate-oblong. Pinnae 3-8 cm × 5-10 mm., patent, stipitate distant, alt., narrow-lanceolate, us. acuminate; margins crenulate to almost entire (sterile and poorly fertile pinnae often ovate-oblong, obtuse); veins free, forked. Sori on acrostichal forks, in a single row on each side of costa and near to margin, c. 1-1·5 mm. diam., up to 40 per pinna; sori sts coalescent, occ. a few scattered sporangia present. Indusium absent or vestigial.

DIST.: Three Kings, N., S. In lowland forest, epiphytic or occ. rupestral to lat. 42º. Also on Banks Peninsula, but not seen there of late. Also Australia, Norfolk Id, New Caledonia.

Exposed coastal rupestral plants often stunted with lamina under 3 cm. long, margins only faintly crenulate to entire. Carse (T.N.Z.I. 47, 1915, 85) describes the juvenile state: "the pinnae are distinctly bipinnate, usually with 3 pairs of stipitate pinnules, and a prolonged lobulate termination."