Plate 249.— TOUEA SUPERBA. 



Family FILICES.] [Genus TODEA, Willd. 



Todea superba, Col. in Tasin. Jourii. Nal. Sci. (1846) 188 ; Cheesem. Man. N.Z. Fl. 1025. 



The specific epithet of superba niij^ht well be conferred on this plant, 

 which is by far the most beautiful fern in New Zealand. When seen in full 

 luxuriance, as in the soakin<>; rain-forests of Westland, or in the almost equally 

 humid districts near the sources of the various branches of the Wanganui 

 River, no description can gjive an adequate idea of its beauty and grace, or 

 of the delicate lace-like tracery of its pellucid fronds. It was originally dis- 

 covered by Mr. Colenso in IS-tl, in the dense primasval forests surrounding 

 Lake Waikare-moana, which he was the first European to visit; but shortly 

 afterwards it was collected by Lyall and other observers in several localities 

 in both the North and South Islands. Its northern limit, so far as I am 

 aware, is on Te Aroha Mountain, on the eastern side of the Island, and on 

 the Pirongia Ranges on the west From these two localities it stretches south- 

 wards in dense and cool humid forests to Cook Strait, and down the west 

 coast of the South Island, where it is plentiful. On the eastern side it is 

 rare and local. It reappears in Stewart Island, and it has also been recorded 

 from the Auckland Islands, on the authority of General Bolton, but has not 

 been noticed by any recent visitor to the group. 



When growing in cool moist forests at an elevation of 1,500 ft. to 2,000 ft. 

 or more, Todea sirperha often covers extensive areas. Each plant is furnished 

 with a stout conical caudex or stem, sometimes 3 ft. in height, which is coated 

 with densely matted fibrous rootlets. Surmounting that is a spreading crown 

 of fronds, numbering from 6 to 15, and which vary in length from 18 in, to 

 3 ft. or even 4 ft. Both Mr. Colenso and Mr. Field have drawn attention to 

 the charming contrast in colour presented in early summer by the outer droop- 

 ing fronds of the previous year's growth, which are a dark semi-transparent 

 green, and the almost erect younger fronds in the centre, which are a bright 

 and delicate pale translucent y;reen. 



Todea, sitverha, together with the closely allied T. hymenofhylloides, the 

 Australian and Polynesian T . Fraseri, and the Lord Howe Island T. Moorei, 

 differ from the type of the genus in the thin and membranous fronds, which 

 resemble in texture those of Hymenophyllum and Trichomanes, and constitute 

 Presl's genus Levtovteris. Although the differences are not of a pronounced 

 character, they are conspicuous and well marked, and many botanists now 

 agree with this subdivision of the genus. 



Plate 249. Todea superba, dra\vii from specimens collected at Mamaku, on the Rotorua Railway, 

 at an altitude of 2,000 ft. Fig. 1, a small portion of the frond, with three pinnules ; 2, the same more 

 highly magnified ; 3, three pinnules from a fertile frond : 4, two segments from a pinnule, each with 

 a sporangium at its base ; 5, two sporangia (all enlarged) ; 6, an entire plant (greatly reduced). 



