Common name: Water Fern
Ceratopteris thalictroides (L.) Brongn. APNI*
Description: Plant rooted in the mud, submerged or emergent.
Fronds dimorphic, stipes spongy.
Sterile fronds erect and spreading, lanceolate to ± ovate, 5–100 cm long, fragile, spongy, light green, 1-pinnate to 3-pinnatifid. Fertile fronds taller and with longer, narrower segments than the sterile fronds, never submerged. Plantlets occasionally develop from buds on detached fertile fronds.
Distribution and occurrence: Rare in N.S.W., possibly introduced, also Qld, NT.
NSW subdivisions: NC
Other Australian states: Qld W.A. N.T.
Characters and distribution as for genus.
Text by Peter G. Wilson updated by Matt A.M. Renner (5 May 2020) Taxon concept: Flora of NSW 1 (1990)
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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