Australian Tropical Ferns and Lycophytes - Online edition

Dicranopteris linearis


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Close up of frond showing sori. © CSIRO
Close up of frond showing upper (adaxial) surface. © G. Sankowsky
Frond. © G. Sankowsky
Crozier. © CSIRO
Habit. © CSIRO
Family

Gleicheniaceae

Botanical name

Dicranopteris linearis (Burm.f.) Underw.

Link to Australian Plant Name Index for publication details and synonyms: https://id.biodiversity.org.au/name/apni/102302

Description

Rhizome long creeping (1.5–) 2–4 mm diam.; internodes to 6 cm long. Fronds erect or scandent, with 1-many tiers of opposite primary branches with a dormant growing point between them. Stipes 10–82 cm or more long, glabrous. Rachis clothed at first with brown branched hairs, glabrescent. Ultimate segments linear, 18–40 (–70) mm long, 3–5 mm wide, divided almost to midrib, glabrous above, clothed below with branched hairs near base of midrib and minute oblong obtuse brown glands along veins or more rarely with hairs along midrib and veins; undersurface slightly to very glaucous. Sorus length one-quarter to one-third the distance from midrib to margin. Sporangia 0.2–0.25 mm diam., pale yellow-brown. 

Distribution

Widespread in the NT, QLD and NSW. Also in Asia, Malesia and the Pacific Islands.

Habit and habitat

Terrestrial in a wide variety of mesic forested habitats over a wide altitudinal range. It usually occurs in sunlit areas and in rainforest it is a common pioneer of roadbanks and cuttings.

Natural history

Three varieties are recognised in Chinnock R.J. and Bell G.H. (1998) Flora of Australia Vol. 48 pp. 148-162.

Citation of Australian Tropical Ferns and Lycophytes

Field AR, Quinn CJ, Zich FA (2022) Australian Tropical Ferns and Lycophytes. apps.lucidcentral.org/fern/text/intro/index.htm (accessed online INSERT DATE).

Field AR, Quinn CJ, Zich FA (2022) ‘Platycerium superbum’, in Australian Tropical Ferns and Lycophytes. apps.lucidcentral.org/fern/text/entities/platycerium_superbum.htm (accessed online INSERT DATE).

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