Flora of New Zealand Series

A. lucidum var. anomodum (Col.) Cheesem. Man. N.Z. Fl. 1906, 991.

Rhizome stout, ascending, clad in dark to pale brown linear-lanceolate, attenuate paleae up to 1 cm. long; stipites crowded, densely paleate at base. Stipes stiff, erect, pale green except towards darker base; ± paleate, becoming nude with age, 3-15 cm. long. Rhachis stout, sparingly paleate, with up to 12 alt. lateral pinnae and larger terminal pinna. Lamina irregularly ovate-oblong, 3-20 × 1·5-5 cm., subcoriac., greyish green, ± paleate below. Pinnae stalked, about ovate-oblong to broad-oblong, 15-35 × 2-15 mm., crenulate; lower pinnae often lobed towards base, or with a single pinnule up to 1 cm. long; veins obscure to distinct, simple or forked from near base. Terminal pinna up to 4 cm. × 15 mm., ovate, obtuse. Sori us. cop., oblong, 3-4 mm. long, sts confluent and covering most of surface; indusium firm, pale.

DIST.: N., S. Lowland to montane limestone areas to lat. 45º 30'.

Specimens labelled "anomodum" in herbaria are a "mixed bag". Type locality: "on decomposing limestone ridges, forests near Norsewood, W.C." I have not located any Colenso material in W. A specimen in K has in Cheeseman's writing the note "one of the types of A. anomodum Col." This is from Norsewood, collected by Colenso. The lamina is 5·5 × 2.5 cm.; 6 lateral pinnae, the lower 15 × 10 mm.; the terminal pinnae 2 × 1cm., ovate, obtuse. There is another Colenso specimen with lamina 10·5 × 5·5 cm.; 5-10 lateral pinnae, the larger 3 × 1 cm.; the terminal pinna 5 cm. × 10 mm., oblong-lanceolate, acute. A sheet in A (30347) is labelled by Cheeseman as the type. There are two plants collected by Colenso at Norsewood. Stipes up to 4 cm. long; paleae subulate, long-attenuate, c. 1 cm. long; lamina up to 6 cm. long; pinnae oblong-ovate, up to 2 × 1 cm., crenate to shallowly crenately lobed; terminal pinna up to 2 cm, long, narrow-ovate. The limestone Asplenia need further study. Endemic.