286 
New Zealand Ferns 
XX. NEPHRODIUM 
NEPHRODIUM (nephros, kidney — shape of the 
seed cover). “Buckler Fern.” A genus of over 400 
species, with 8 in New Zealand. Medium-sized ferns; 
the round patches of seed protected by a kidney-shaped 
covering. 
N. DECOMPOSITUM 
(112 ) N.Thelypteris (lady-fern). V ar . squamulo- 
sum (scaly). A marsh fern, with barren and fertile 
fronds; seeds covered with a kidney-shaped membrane. 
Description . — Root long, slender, creeping, branched. Stalks 
4 to 12 inches long, slender, smooth, straw-coloured. Fronds 
scattered along the root, 6 to 12 inches long, without the stalks, 
rarely more, by 2 to 5 inches broad, pale-green, membranous. 
Seeds numerous, small, in two rows, rather nearer the margin 
than the midrib. 
North Island: Marshes from the North Cape to the East Cape, 
Taupo, and Wanganui ; but often local. Sea-level to 2,000 feet. 
The typical form is found in Europe, Asia, and America. Var. 
squamnlosum is confined to New Zealand and South Africa. 
