Flora of New Zealand Series

Nephrodium decompositum R. Br. Prodr. 1810, 149.

Aspidium decompositum Spreng. Syst. Veg. 4, 1827, 109.

N. pentangularum Col. in Tasm. J. nat. Sci. 2, 1846, 169.

Dryopteris decomposita (R. Br.) O. Kuntze Rev. Gen. Pl. 2, 1891, 812.

Rhizome creeping, branching, slender to rather stout, up to 5 mm. diam., densely clad in dark brown linear-subulate paleae up to 5 mm. long; stipites distributed along rhizome. Stipes 6-20 cm. long, stiff, grooved, ± paleate and pubescent-hairy, becoming glab. Rhachis grooved, us. pale brown, densely to sparsely clad in pale brown to whitish hairs, narrowly winged. Lamina deltoid to ovate-deltoid, rather pale green, submembr., acuminate, ± pubescent on veins and veinlets above and below; 3-2-pinnate; 12-30-(50) × 10-25-40 cm. Larger (lowest) pinnae 7-15-(25) × 4-6-(10) cm., obliquely deltoid. Secondary pinnae up to 10 × 3 cm. Tertiary pinnae or segs about oblong to narrow-rhomboid, up to 3-(6) cm. long, coarsely and sharply toothed to aristate. Sori up to 8 per pinnule, c. 1 mm. diam., about halfway from midvein to margin; indusium round-reniform.

DIST.: K., N., S., Ch. Lowland to montane forest throughout, but local. Also in Tasmania, Australia, Norfolk Island.

N. pentangularum Col. from "Low wet grounds, margins of shaded woods, East Coast; 1841" is described as having a villous stipe and thick submarginal sori.