Flora of New Zealand Series

Lomaria filiformis A. Cunn. in Compan. bot. Mag. 2, 1837, 363.

Lomaria pimpinellifolia Hook. f. in Lond. J. Bot. 3, 1844, 412.

Stenochlaena heteromorpha J. Smith in Lond. J. Bot. 4, 1845, 149.

Type locality: "shady woods on the hills around Wangaroa." Type: K, 1826, A. Cunningham. Endemic.

Rhizome rather slender, sparingly branched, far-creeping, then high-climbing, 2-5 mm. diam., densely clad in dark brown linear-attenuate, squarrose paleae c. 5 mm. long; stipites distributed along rhizome. Stipes paleate; of juvenile plants slender, 1-2 cm. long; of adults stouter, up to 10 cm. long. Rhachis slender, paleate. Sterile laminae dimorphic, submembr., dark green, with numerous shortly stalked pinnae; costae ± paleate: (a) linear-lanceolate to narrow-oblong, obtuse to acuminate, 7-20 cm. × 15-30 mm., spreading; pinnae shortly stalked to subsessile, opp. to subopp., 5-15 × 3-10 mm., about oblong, coarsely dentate-serrate: (b) lanceolate-oblong, acuminate, pend., up to 35 × 5-15 cm.; pinnae more distant, subopp. to alt., oblong-lanceolate, acute to acuminate, up to 10 cm. × 15 mm., dentate-serrate, subfalcate; lower pinnae smaller, obtuse. Fertile laminae us. towards upper part of climbing portion of rhizome, ovate-oblong, up to 25 cm. long, slender to rather stout; pinnae spreading, rather distant: (a) narrow-linear to almost filiform, up to 5 cm. long: (b) linear, stouter, up to 15 cm. long. Sori covering whole of undersurface.

DIST.: N., S. Lowland forest from near North Cape to lat. 41º 30'. Sts climbing to 10 m. or more.