128 
New Zealand Ferns 
(48) A. diaphanum (semi-transparent). The small- 
est — referring to the whole frond — of the New Zealand 
species; either a single leaf or branched once or twice. 
Growing on dry banks under the shade of bushes. 
Description . — Root very short, tufted; rootlets long, fibrous, 
densely hairy, bearing numerous small tubers. Stalks 2 to 6 inches 
long, very slender, almost hair-like, purplish-brown or nearly 
black, wiry, slightly scaly towards the base. Fronds 3 to 6 inches 
long, rarely more, either single or branched once to twice, each 
leaf ?in. to 1 inch wide, thin and membranous, dark-green. Seeds 
placed in the notches of the upper and outer margins of the leaf- 
lets, surfaces sparingly covered with minute black hairs. 
North Island: Not uncommon in woods at low elevation, 
usually in rich alluvial soil. South Island: Apparently rare and 
local. Nelson — Bateman’s Gully, Collingwood ; Canterbury— gorge 
of the Rakaia ; Otago — various localities. Sea-level to 1,000 feet. 
This modest little fern, though easily grown, is gen- 
erally neglected in favour of its more showy brethren. 
Outside New Zealand it is a widely-spread species. 
