Description: Rhizome long-creeping, slender, covered with brown or reddish, simple or sometimes glandular hairs.
Fronds erect, narrow- to broad-triangular, 2-pinnate or more compound, usually covered with short bristly or gland-tipped hairs.
Sori ± circular, marginal and terminal on a vein to submarginal and not quite terminal on a vein; indusium if present false, a reflexed or partially reflexed flap of the lamina at least partly covering marginal sori, or sometimes sori further from the margin and unprotected.
Distribution and occurrence: World: 40–45 species, chiefly tropical & southern temperate regions. Australia: 8 species, Qld, N.S.W., Vic., Tas.
Hypolepis distans has been transferred to the genus Hiya as Hiya distans and this transfer is accepted by Field (2020) but has not yet made its way into APC, and PlantNet is, for the moment, APC compliant.
Text by Peter G. Wilson, updated by Matt A.M. Renner (7 May 2020)
Taxon concept:
| | Key to the species | |
| 1 | Veins ending at the lamina margin in a distinct notch | Hypolepis distans |
| Veins either not reaching the lamina margin, or ending at the lamina margin at the apex of a tooth or lobe | 2 |
| 2 | Sori ± covered by an indusium: indusium obvious, false, at least partly colourless and membranous | 3 |
| Sori partly covered by indusium or unprotected: indusium if present marginal, false and green or sori originating away from margin and unprotected (check immature sorus)
Back to 1 | 4 |
| 3 | Glandular hairs abundant on frond | Hypolepis tenuifolia |
| Glandular hairs absent from frond
Back to 2 | Hypolepis elegans |
| 4 | Secondary rachises bearing stiff, non-glandular, septate hairs that are usually curved towards the tip of the rachis; sori with short hairs amongst the sporangia | Hypolepis muelleri |
| Secondary rachises bearing conspicuous, crisped hairs, some with glandular apices; sori lacking hairs
Back to 2 | 5 |
| 5 | Stipes brown to orange; primary rachis brown, yellowish or orange-red | Hypolepis glandulifera |
| Stipes and rachises deep red-brown
Back to 4 | 6 |
| 6 | Fronds with lamina broad-triangular, 35–115 cm long and 20–60 cm wide; rachises with few, coarse hairs and relatively large tubercles | Hypolepis rugosula |
| Fronds with lamina narrow-triangular, 15–55 cm long and 10–35 cm wide; rachises with numerous, short hairs and small tubercles
Back to 5 | Hypolepis amaurorachis |
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