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New Zealand Ferns 
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XVII. DOODIA 
DOODIA (to honour Mr. Doody, a London 
apothecary and British cryptogamist), A small genus of 
5 species, with 2 species and 1 variety in New Zealand. 
Little tufted ferns with narrow fronds. Seeds oblong 
or slightly curved, generally in one row parallel to and 
on each side of the midrib, protected by a thin covering 
which springs from the under side of the leaf. 
(83) D. media (intermediate). There is no mistak- 
ing the tufts of lance-like fronds, the sprouting young 
ones of a rosy-red that tinges a whole bank with colour. 
Seeds parallel to and nearer the midrib than the margin, 
a habit quite unlike that of any other New Zealand 
genus. 
Description . — Root short, stout, semi-erect. Stalks 3 to 18 
inches long, more or less scaly towards the base, smooth or rough, 
blackish-brown. Fronds 12 to 18 inches long by ll> to 4 inches 
broad, texture firm and stiff, dark-green, rough to the touch. 
Seeds short, oblong, usually in one row on each side of the mid- 
rib, but sometimes portions of a second row are irregularly devel- 
oped. 
North Island: Abundant from the North Cape to the East 
Cape ; from thence rare and local to Cook Strait. South Island : 
Port Hills, Nelson. Sea-level to 1,000 feet. 
This species is very abundant about Auckland, being 
one of the last to disappear before settlement. One still 
