July, i940 The Queensland Naturalist 
85 
A NEW FERN RECORD FOR QUEENSLAND. 
By D. A. Goy (Botanic Museum and Herbarium, 
Brisbane.) 
Early in November, 1939, specimens of a fern were 
received from Mr. M. J. Manski, of Cairns, who is keenly 
interested in this particular branch of botany. Mr. 
Manski stated that the specimens were sent to him by Mr. 
M. R. Giddins, of Babinda, who had obtained them at 
Jordan Creek, near the gold mines, in the Palmerston 
area. As neither of them had seen it before, they were 
anxious to know what it was. 
The fern was identified as Dipteris conjugata lieinw., 
a native of Malaya-Polynesia, but not previously found in 
Australia, although it is very common in New Guinea. 
Dipteris is a distinctive and interesting genus possess- 
ing several primitive characters. There is much contro- 
versy as to its correct position in fern classification. Some 
authorities contend that it represents a primitive form 
from which the newer Polypodiodeae have been derived, 
and should be placed in the family Polypodiaceae, sub- 
family Dipteridoideae. However, it has also definite 
affinities with Matonia , an archaic Malayan genus in the 
family Matoniaceae, and on this account others prefer ot 
make a separate family (Dipteridaceae) for it. 
This plant is quite distinct from any previously 
recorded Australian fern. The fronds bear a slight super- 
ficial resemblance to the Elkliorn ( Platycerium bifwr- 
catum) and Staghorn ( Platycerium grande ), but the habit 
of the plant is very different. It is a terrestrial with a 
scaly, creeping rhizone from which fronds on long stipes 
arise singly at varying intervals. The stipes on the speci- 
men from North Queensland measured 75 cm., but part 
of the base was missing. The fronds are fiabellately 
dichotomous, thick in texture (coriaceous), slightly 
glossy to dull green on the upper surface, usually glaucous 
beneath. The blade of the frond sent in measured 55 cm. 
long and about 90 cm. broad. The fronds are completely 
divided into two halves ; each half is more or less deeply 
divided into four parts which are themselves once or twice 
forked. The margins are irregularly coarsely serrate. 
The veins are dichotomous, prominent especially on the 
lower surface, the intermediate veinlets forming a dense 
network. . The sori are very small and numerous, without 
an indusium and irregularly covering most of the under 
surface of the frond. 
