292 
New Zealand Ferns 
( 115 ) N. velutinum (velvety). Distinguished by the 
reddish-brown colour of the stalks and midribs, which 
imparts to the frond a delicate tint of Indian red; the 
velvety feel of the leaves, and the large size of the lowest 
leaflets. The silky brown hairs which cover the whole 
frond are so abundant on the midribs as to give them a 
much darker hue than the rest of the leaf. 
Description . — Root short, stout, erect. Stalks 9 to 18 inches 
long, firm, erect, densely hairy, clothed at the base with large 
red-brown scales. Fronds tufted, 9 to 18 inches long, without the 
stalks, almost the same in breadth, green to greeii with a reddish- 
brown tinge, membranous and soft, clothed on both surfaces with 
soft silky hairs ; lower primary and secondary leaflets much the 
largest. Seeds copious, rather small. 
In dry woods from the North Cape to Otago; but rather local 
in the South Island. Sea-level to 1,000 feet. 
By some considered one of the most beautiful of our 
ferns, having three good claims to that distinction — the 
aesthetic colour of the broad fronds, their soft velvety 
texture, and the wonderfully graceful outline — the ex- 
tension of the lower leaflets being more pronounced than 
in any other species of the genus. I have found it grow- 
ing on dry banks overlooking the sea, sometimes within 
reach of the spray. It used to be plentiful near Auck- 
land, about Hobson Bay and Orakei, but of late years I 
have not been able to find a plant. It is easily cultivated, 
sometimes developing forked tips to the fronds, and 
makes a very handsome addition to the fernery. 
I know of nothing more daintily perfect than the 
young fronds of this species. One wonders at their soft 
bloom surviving undamaged the rude buffeting of the 
wind and the plash of heavy raindrops. The tender, 
immature leaves, perfect in every detail, of a virginal 
green shading off to a lighter tint at the margins, are 
greatly embellished by the soft brown of the stalks and 
midribs. 
Found only in New Zealand. 
