210 
New Zealand Ferns 
( 81 ) L. membranacea (membranous). A species that 
usually grows in tufts on river banks close to the water, 
and at first sight is apparently a small form of L. lancc- 
olata, but, on a nearer inspection, the leaflets are seen to 
be shorter, rounder, more blunt, and distinctly separated 
from one another. 
Description . — Root stout, semi-erect. Stalks very short, scaly 
at base. Fronds tufted, barren 3 to 10 inches long by fin. to Fl- 
inches broad, membranous, pale-green, smooth, margins coarsely 
toothed, veins conspicuous; fertile fronds usually longer than 
the barren. Seeds copious, covering the whole surface. 
North Island: In shaded places by the banks of streams, not 
uncommon throughout. South Island : In various localities on 
the East Coast from Nelson to Otago, but rare and local. Sea- 
level to 2,000 feet. 
Large forms of this species are difficult to distinguish 
from L. lanccolata, if, indeed, the two species do not 
pass directly into each other. It is easily cultivated, and 
is confined to New Zealand. 
