Lindsaea brachypoda

Lindsaeaceae

Lindsaea brachypoda (Baker) Salomon

Link to Australian Plant Name Index for publication details and synonyms: https://id.biodiversity.org.au/name/apni/112387

Rhizome short-creeping, 0.6–1 mm diam.; scales rounded, to c. 0.5 mm long, pale brown. Fronds dimorphic. Stipes clustered, mostly 5–13 cm long, from c. half the length of lamina to almost as long, stramineous. Lamina 1-pinnate to partly or fully 2-pinnate, ±linear. Fertile lamina or fertile pinnae of 2-pinnate forms c. 10–20 cm long, 1.2–2 cm wide; pinnules to 12 mm long and 5 mm wide, sessile or very shortly stalked, mostly asymmetrically flabellate or more elongate, but lowermost ones often decurved, herbaceous; lower margin entire; upper margin with 1–4 shallow incisions. Sterile lamina or sterile pinnae of 2-pinnate forms 7–14 cm long, 1.2–1.5 cm wide; pinnules smaller than fertile ones, similar in shape; lower margin entire; upper and outer margins crenate. Veins free, simple or twice-forked. Sori continuous or broken at incisions; indusium 0.3–0.5 mm wide and extending almost to margin, greenish to pale brown, entire to slightly irregular. Spores trilete, pale brown, smooth. 

Endemic to Australia, widespread from N NT through QLD to N NSW.

Terrestrial in a wide variety of habitats including rainforest, wet sclerophyll forest and open woodland.

The combination of terrestrial habit, free veins, yellow brown stipe, asymmetrically flabellate upper pinnae and decurved lower pinnae distinguish this species from other Australian Lindsaea.