Chingia australis

Thelypteridaceae

Chingia australis Holttum

Link to Australian Plant Name Index for publication details and synonyms: https://id.biodiversity.org.au/name/apni/64875

Rhizome forming a trunk to c. 30 cm tall and 4–8 cm diam. Fronds to 2.6 m long, bright green. Stipe to 110 cm long, bearing minute capitate hairs throughout, rather sparsely scaly above the base; scales flat, ±erect, to 10 mm long, 1 mm wide. Lamina ovate, to 150 cm long, to 66 cm wide, with up to 40 pairs of pinnae; basal pinnae to c. 24 cm long, a little narrowed at their bases; largest pinnae to 33 cm long, 3 cm wide, narrowly acuminate, lobed to a depth of 3–6 mm (to slightly more than one-third distance to costa); costules c. 4 mm apart; veins to 10 pairs, 2 pairs anastomosing and (1–) 2 (–4) pairs passing to the sides of the sinus membrane, not prominent; sinus membrane one-quarter to one-third width of pinna; lower surface with copious slender erect capitate hairs 0.1–0.2 mm long; rachis with short narrow scales with thick terete bases on adaxial side. Sori small, exindusiate or bearing a rudimentary indusium (soon eclipsed by developing sporangia), adjacent to or sometimes overlapping the costule; indusium, when present, bearing marginal 2-celled glandular hairs; sporangia glabrous, or bearing a long acicular hair, or rarely a capitate hair, near the annulus; sporangial stalk glabrous. 

Endemic to the Wet Tropics of NE Queensland between Bloomfield River and Johnstone River.

Terrestrial on disturbed banks in lower montane mesic vine forest.

Chingia australis appears to be a soil distrubance pioneer.