Australian Tropical Ferns and Lycophytes - Online edition

Oceaniopteris whelanii


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Close up of frond showing sori. © G. Sankowsky
Frond. © G. Sankowsky
Habit. © G. Sankowsky
Family

Blechnaceae

Botanical name

Oceaniopteris whelanii (F.M.Bailey) Gasper & Salino

Link to Australian Plant Name Index for publication details and synonyms: https://id.biodiversity.org.au/name/apni/8029167

Description

Rhizome semi-erect to erect. Fronds variously dimorphic (but sori never completely covering the underside of fertile pinnae), 17–90 cm long, 6–32 cm wide. Stipe 7–42 cm long, reddish brown to black at base, sometimes becoming stramineous above; scales at base lanceolate to linear, subulate, entire, dark reddish brown to black, shiny, usually glabrous above. Lamina deltoid, ovate to lanceolate, pinnate-pinnatisect, with 3–13 pairs of pinnae; rachis and costae dark reddish brown to stramineous, glabrous at maturity; sterile pinnae lanceolate to linear-oblong, acuminate, 5–24 cm long, 13–26 mm wide, stalked at base of lamina, semi-adnate to adnate towards apex; margins serrate; basal pinnae only slightly shorter; fertile pinnae usually narrower, linear, acuminate. Sori c. 1 mm wide on each side of costa. Spores 38 × 27 µm; perine scaberulous to minutely rugulose; exine smooth to verrucose

Distribution

Endemic to NE QLD in upper montane areas of the Windsor, Carbine and Atherton Tablelands and surrounding mountains.

Habit and habitat

Terrestrial along creek banks in sunlit areas in rainforest and in microphyll rainforest at high altitude.

Cultivation

Difficult to grow in the lowland wet tropics.

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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