Flora of New Zealand Series

Asplenium japonicum Thunb. Fl. jap. 1784, 334.

Diplazium japonicum Milde Fil. Eur. 1867.

Rhizome rather stout, creeping, clad in dark brown linear paleae c. 5 mm. long; stipites distributed but often approximate along rhizome. Stipes rather stout to slender, pale brown, darker and paleate in lower part, (5)-10-25 cm. long. Rhachis rather slender, paleate, with numerous subopp. to alt. pinnae. Lamina pinnate, ovate-deltoid to ovate-lanceolate, pale to rather dark green, membr., occ. sparsely hairy; veins free. Pinnae up to 128 × 4 cm., oblong-lanceolate, acuminate, pinnatisect. Pinnules oblong to ovate-oblong, obtuse to subacute, confluent, up to 20 cm. × 7 mm., crenate-dentate to subentire (rarely the pinnules merely connected by a narrow wing of the costa). Sori oblique to midvein, up to 10 per pinnule, us. cop., narrow-oblong, c. 2-3 mm. long, lowest us. paired. Indusium inflated, membr.

DIST.: K., N. Lowland forest, local, from lat. 35º to 39º. Also in Queensland, Polynesia to China and Japan.