96 
The Queensland Naturalist May, 1938 
A NEW FERN RECORD FOR QUEENSLAND 
(By D. A. Goy, Botanic Museum and Herbarium, 
Brisbane.) 
On a recent collecting trip to North Queensland, Mr. 
C. T. White (Government Botanist) was handed specimens 
of a fern by Mr. M. J. Manski. Mr. Manski is a member 
of the North Queensland Naturalists’ Club and is keenly 
interested in ferns. These particular specimens were col- 
lected on Jackson’s Creek, Happy Valley, Babinda, by 
Mr. R. Giddens. The plant was not previously known to 
occur in Australia, but was recognised by Mr. White as a 
common New Guinea one. On examination it proved to 
be Diplazium cordifolium Bl., formerly known as Asplen- 
ium integrifolium Mett., also as Anisogonium cordifolium 
Bedd. The fern is widely spread over Malesia, the Philip- 
pine Islands, Polynesia, Madagascar and tropical Africa, 
and it is therefore not surprising to find it growing 
naturally in tropical Queensland. 
Diplazium cordifolium is easily distinguished from all 
other Australian representatives of the genus, being the 
only species with undivided fronds. These are densely 
tufted on the rhizome, with robust stipes up to about 35 
cm. long. The fronds on the specimen illustrated (which 
is a New Guinea one, the only Queensland specimens avail- 
able being somewhat crushed and torn) measured from 
14-24 cm. long and 4-6 cm. broad ; but the specimens from 
Babinda measured 25-26 cm. long and 9-10 cm. broad, 
were oblong-lanceolate in shape, cordate at the base, acum- 
inate towards the apex, and coriaceous in texture. In 
some plants 1-2 pairs of lateral pinnae may be developed 
below the usual one, but all the Queensland specimens had 
simple fronds. The veins anastomose towards the outer 
part of the frond and bear sori from the midrib to the 
margin or nearly so. 
