226 
New Zealand Ferns 
(87) A. trichomanes (hair-like). A smaller and much 
more rigid species that A. flabellifolium, usually only 
6 inches long, with a single row of closely-set leaflets on 
either side of the stalk, found generally in the moun- 
tains. 
Description . — Roots short, stout, fibrous, more or less clothed 
with dark-brown scales. Stalks 1 to 4 inches long, dark chestnut- 
brown, smooth and glossy. Fronds tufted, rigid, erect, 3 to 12 
inches by Jin. to Sin. broad, firm in texture, green to dull-green. 
Seeds in oblique lines. 
North Island: Kaimanawa Mountains, Otorohanga, Petane, 
Puketapu, Mount Egmont, Tararua Ranges. South Island: Not 
uncommon in mountainous regions throughout. Sea-level to 4,000 
feet. 
For many years it was supposed to be confined to the 
South Island, but of late it has been found in several 
parts of the North Island. A very widely distributed 
species; the Maidenhair Spleenwort of England. 
