364 
New Zealand Ferns 
XXVIII. TODEA 
TODEA (to honour Henry Julius Tode, of 
Mecklenburg, a well-known student of fungi). A genus 
of 5 or 6 species, with 3 in New Zealand. Large to 
medium-sized ferns; the seeds scattered over the under 
surface like grains of sand. 
(150) T. barbara (foreign). A large, handsome 
dark-green fern. The seeds covering the whole under 
surface of the lowest leaflets at the base of the frond 
only. Found in the far north of the Auckland Province. 
Description . — Root stout, erect, sometimes forming a trunk 
4 feet high and 2 feet in diameter. Stalks 1 to 2 feet long or 
more, stout, erect, quite smooth. Fronds 2 to 4 feet long by 9 to 
12 inches broad, dark-green, tough and firm in texture, quite 
smooth. Seeds towards the base of the frond, usually occupying 
the whole of the under surface, the remainder of the frond barren. 
From the North Cape to Mangonui, abundant in open gullies; 
southwards to W hangaroa, more sparingly. 
Easily cultivated in the Auckland district ; its large, 
shining, upright fronds make it a very attractive species. 
Also in Australia, Tasmania, and South Africa. In Aus- 
tralia the massive trunk sometimes weighs ij tons. 
