Flora of New Zealand Series

Aspidium goggilodus Schkuhr Krypt. Gew. 1809, 193 (t. 33C as goggylodus).

Polystichum goggilodus Gaud. Freyc. Voy. Bot. 1826, 326.

Cyclosorus gongylodes Link Hort. reg. bot. berol. 2, 1833, 128.

Dryopteris gongylodes O. Kuntze Rev. Gen. Pl. 2, 1891, 811.

Cyclosorus goggilodus Farwell in Amer. Midl. Nat. 12, 1931, 259.

Rhizome stout, far-creeping, sparsely clad in dark brown paleae; stipites distributed along rhizome. Stipes dark brown (blackish at base and there with a few paleae) up to 35 cm. × 3-4 mm.; rhachis grooved, nude. Lamina 15-45 × 5-24 cm., about ovate-oblong, acuminate, pinnate, us. either completely sterile or fully fertile. Pinnae of fertile laminae rather distant, coriac., acuminate, in about 15 pairs ascending at narrow angle, narrow-lanceolate, acute to acuminate, 5-15 × c. 1 cm., pinnatifid; segs deltoid-triangular to oblong, obtuse to subacute, sts apiculate, c. 5 mm. long. Pinnae of sterile laminae similar but spreading at a wider angle, submembr., segs ovate-triangular, up to 4 mm. broad. Lower pinnae not markedly reduced. Sori cop., close-set, under 1 mm. diam., or coalescing to form coenosori up to 5 mm. long, about medial. Indusium cordate-reniform.

DIST.: N. In swamps and about hot springs from near North Cape to lat. 38º 30'. Widespread in tropical and subtropical regions. Its relation to Aspidium unitum Swartz not satisfactorily elucidated.

Nephrodium inaequilaterum Col. in T.N.Z.I. 20, 1888, 229, was based on specimens collected in "Woods near Tapuaeharuru, County of East Taupo; 1872 (received from a visitor): Wairakei, same county; 1887: Mr. C. J. Norton". The type specimen (Taupo, C. J. Norton, in W) consists of 2 sterile, 2 partly and 1 completely fertile fronds. Stipes slender, up to 16 cm. long; pinnae up to 12 pairs, up to 8 × 1 cm., the fertile ones also spreading at a wide angle: lower veinlets occ. not quite meeting at sinus. Colenso emphasizes the smaller size and details of venation. Cheeseman (Man. N.Z. Fl. 1925, 37) places the name as an absolute synonym of T. gongylodes, but further study in the field is desirable.

For arguments concerning the valid spelling of the epithet see Fosberg (Occ. Pap. Bishop Mus. 16, 1942, 337-338), St. John (Bull. Torrey bot. Cl. 72, 1945, 22) and Skottsberg (Nat. Hist. Juan Fernandez and Easter Island 2, 1951, 768). I have deemed it advisable to retain the corrected spelling meantime.