140 
New Zealand Ferns 
XII. HYPOLEPIS 
HYPOLEPIS (hypo, under; lepis, a scale). A 
genus of 12 species, with 4 in New Zealand. Large to 
medium-sized branching ferns. Seeds small, placed in 
the notches of the leaflets. Margin of the leaf modified 
and curved so as partly to cover the seeds. 
H. DISTANS 
( 54 ) H. tenui folia (thin-leaved). A large, branching- 
species; the soft pale-green fronds yielding to the touch. 
Usually found on the edge of bush or in clearings. 
Description . — Roots long, stout, creeping, clothed with red- 
brown scales. Stalks 1 to 2 feet high or more, strong, erect, brown 
or yellow-brown, usually scaly towards the base. Fronds 1 to 
feet long by 6 inches to 2 feet broad, pale-green, membranous, 
midribs covered with soft white hairs. Seeds numerous, small, at 
the bottom of the notches, shaped like an ear. 
Abundant throughout the Dominion. Sea-level to 2,000 feet. 
