DESCRIPTIONS OF N.Z. FERNS. 123 



ASPLENIUM FLACCIDUM. (As-ple-ne-um flax-id-um.) 



PLATE XII., No. 2. 



This fern in its various forms in found in South Africa, Australia, Tasmania, 

 Polynesia, northward to the Sandwich Islands, and the Chatham and Auckland Islands, 

 as well as throughout New Zealand. Itgrows in various places. Its largest forms occur 

 among moss, on tree-trunks, roots, or forks of branches ; but smaller ones, also 

 among moss, in crevices of rocks. It varies wonderfully in form in different situations ; 

 in fa6l, a complete series would be curious and interesting. In its various forms it has 

 been called " Asplenium heterophyllum," "A. odontitis," " Coenopteris flaccida," 

 " C. Novae Zelandiae," and " Darea flaccida." 



The typical form is probably that most generally met with, pendulous on tree 

 trunks, in the New Zealand forests. It has a short, stout, erect, scaly rhizome, bearing 

 a good many fronds, and in large plants exhibiting a tendency to creep slightly, or 

 divide into separate crowns. The stipes is stout, smooth, or slightly scaly at the very 

 base, green, and very variable in length. Rachis also smooth and green. Frond 

 oblong or lanceolate, pinnate, and sometimes 3ft. long. Pinnae more or less distant, 

 opposite, sub-opposite, or alternate (sometimes all three on the same frond), long 

 lanceolate, pointing much upwards towards the apex of the frond, and cut nearly to 

 the costae into narrow tapering pointed lobes, which also point much upwards, and 

 are decurrent on their lower side, so as to form a wing all along both sides of the 

 costee. Colour bright green ; texture very thick ; in fact, fleshily-coriaceous. Sori 

 sub-marginal on the upper edges of the lobes only. Involucres membranous, placed 

 beneath the sori, green, and indistinct. Occasionallv, but very rarely, a plant is found 

 of which the fronds are tripinnate towards the base ; and a variety producing young 

 plants on its upper surface has lately been found at Waitotara by my son, Mr. F R. 

 Field. It is a small form, about 2ft. high only, and grows on the ground The lower 

 pinnae have one or two narrow lobes at their bases, cut nearly to the costae, and the 

 upper lobes are quite short and rounded. It appears rarely to produce sori, but to be 

 propagated by the little plants dropping off and taking root, as each large plant has a 

 number of these young ones under and around it ; and when soriferous the sori are not 

 marginal, but on the back of pinniiles like those of A. bulbiferum, showing it to be a 

 connecting link with that fern Another form, also found in the forests of the North 

 Island, particularly at high levels, has very few pinnae, and those very long and quite 

 linear, with very short, almost rudimentary lobes ; in fact, it is very like a large, long 

 form of the European Asplenium septentrionale. Another form has the pinnae curved 

 like a scythe blade. Another has shorter, more triangular fronds, with more numerous 

 pinnae, which are far slenderer, and have longer, narrower lobes, giving it altogether a 

 more feathery appearance. It also usually occurs at high levels. Another form, 

 which occurs on the rocks by the sea shore near Wellington, is very thick indeed, and 



