358 
New Zealand Ferns 
( 148) S. dichotoma (divided). Though nearly as 
unlike a fern as the other species, this is a pretty fan- 
shaped little plant. So far reported only from the North 
Island. 
Description . — Root short, stout, creeping. Fronds few or 
many, close together, 6 to 14 inches long, erect, rigid, wiry. Lower 
portion not distinct from the stalk, upper portion repeatedly 
forked, forming a fan-like leaf, 2 to 4 inches or more across. 
Seeds tufted, ^in. to ’jin. long, in two closely-placed rows. 
North Island: In kauri forests from Kaitaia and Mangonui 
southwards to Tairua and the Lower Waikato River ; rare. 
Growing in heated soil near the hot springs at Orakeikorako, 
Upper Waikato. Sea-level to 1,500 feet. 
Once only did I gather this quaint little fern in New 
Zealand, although I have looked for it hundreds of 
times. When making a path through the bush at Wha- 
ngarei my daughter spied the little fronds growing about 
the roots of a kauri tree. A wide-spread tropical and 
sub-tropical species. 
