Flora of New Zealand Series

Rhizomes short, erect, scaly; rootlets bearing small tubers. Stipes and rachises glabrous except at very base. Laminae either 1-pinnate with 5-16 undivided pinnae on each side of rachis, or 2-pinnate with 1-(2) pairs of primary pinnae bearing secondary pinnae and a terminal portion with 12-25 undivided primary pinnae on each side; 1-pinnate fronds 5-10 × 1.5-3 cm, narrowly triangular; 2-pinnate fronds 8-20 × 4-18 cm, 3-fid. Ultimate pinnules ± oblong or parallelogrammoid, tending to curve basiscopically, 5-20 × 4-10 mm; stalk attached at proximal corner; upper and outer margins regularly lobed, inner and lower margins entire; upper surface glabrous, lower hairy or glabrous, both dark green. Indusia ± reniform with prominent sinuses, hairy or glabrous, up to 8 per pinnule on upper and outer margins.

N.: common in coastal and lowland forest from North Cape to the Waikato and Bay of Plenty, scattered coastal localities S. to Wellington; S.: Nelson (infrequent along N. coast from Farewell Spit to Waimea Plains), Marlborough (Sounds district); K.

Also indigenous to S.E. Asia, Indonesia, Australia and Pacific Is.

Coastal forest, shaded banks, stream margins.

Two forms of this sp. are known. The more common one has stiff hairs on the indusia and lower surface of the ultimate pinnules, the other is glabrous. The latter was described by Colenso, W., Trans. Proc. N.Z. Inst. 20 : 215 (1888), as A. polymorphum and occurs in the southern North Id and northern South Id. Its status requires further investigation.