Flora of New Zealand Series

Davallia novae-zelandiae Col. in Tasm. J. nat. Sci. 2, 1846, 182.

Type locality: "shaded damp woods in Te Waiti District." Type: W, Colenso Jan., 1842.

Rhizome creeping, 1-3 mm. diam.; densely clad in dark reddish brown hairs. Stipes slender, 7-45 cm. long, firm; clad especially towards base in similar hairs. Rhachis bearing sparse hairs, especially at axils with costae, flexuose, grooved above. Lamina deltoid to ovate-oblong in outline, acuminate, subcoriac., pale green; 30-60 × 15-30 cm., tripinnate. Primary pinnae subopp. to alt., ovate- to lanceolate-oblong, acuminate, up to 15 × 5 cm. Secondary pinnae up to 6 × 1 cm., subopp. to alt., narrow ovate-oblong, acute. Tertiary pinnae up to 1 cm. or more long, pinnatisect with up to 7 segs. Segs narrow-triangular to oblanceolate, us. each bearing a sorus. Sori us. abundant even on small fronds, c. 1 mm. diam. Indusium broad-ovate to suborbicular, erose on upper margin, recurving in age and exposing sporangia.

DIST.: N., S. Terrestrial, local in lowland forest from lat. 35º to 46º 30'.