Dicranopteris linearis var. linearis (Burm.f.) Underw. APNI* Description: Rhizome (1.5-) 2–4 mm diam., long-creeping, internodes to 6 cm long, much-branched, often glaucous, the young parts covered with stiff, septate hairs.
Stipes 10–82 cm or more long, glabrous. Rachis clothed at first with brown branched hairs, glabrescent. Fronds branched, each primary lateral axis being further dichotomously divided; a pair of small accessory pinnae occur at each forking of the rachis except at the final one, ultimate forks lacking accessory branches, or rarely present at or just below the forks; pinnules linear or slightly curved, 18–40 (-70) mm long, 3–5 mm wide, divided almost to midrib, yellowish green above, veins on undersurface lacking hairs but usually bearing minute oblong obtuse yellow-brown to brown glands, 1.5–3.5 cm long, margin entire; undersurface slightly to very glaucous. Sorus length one-quarter to one-third the distance from midrib to margin.
Sori c. 1 mm diam., composed of 6–12 or more sporangia. Sporangia 0.2–0.25 mm diam., pale yellow-brown.
Distribution and occurrence: Occurs across northern tropical W.A. and northern N.T. to Cape York Peninsula, Qld, and southwards to north-eastern N.S.W. (north from Royal N.P.); outliers occur in central N.T. and central-coastal N.S.W. A few relict populations occur in sheltered permanent water situations in ranges of arid central Australia: also in Africa, Asia, Malaysia, Polynesia and New Zealand. Widespread but now rare. Often straggling and forming dense thickets in open, damp situations, sometimes in sandstone road cuttings in the Sydney area; common on the margins of forest where it scrambles over shrubs and small trees often to 3 metres or more.
NSW subdivisions: NC, CC
Other Australian states: Qld N.T.
Text by E.A. Brown
Taxon concept: Flora of Australia 48
| The single variety in NSW. Characters and distribution as for the species in NSW. |
APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data
***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.
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