Common name: Tape Fern
Vittaria elongata Sw. APNI*
Description: Rhizome creeping, to 6 mm diam., scales dense, broad-based, brown to black, uniformly clathrate, marginal cell walls thickened and pigmented to the nearly the same extent as medial cell walls.
Fronds borne in tufts, ± erect to pendent, dimorphic; stipe very short; lamina narrow-linear, dull or shiny green, 25–90 cm long and 3–5(-10) mm wide.
Sori linear, submarginal, extending from near the top to midway down the frond. Terminal cell on paraphyses clavate, approximately as long as wide.
Distribution and occurrence: Variable pendent epiphyte in rainforest, grows on trees or rocks; north from the Richmond River.
NSW subdivisions: NC
Other Australian states: Qld
Text by Peter G. Wilson and Matt A.M. Renner Taxon concept: Flora of Australia Volume 48 (1998)
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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