Davallia brassii (Copeland, 1940) Nooteboom, 1994
Description
Rhizome without the scales 1-1.9 mm in diametre, white waxy under the scales (D. brassii Rhizome). Scales red-brown, without pale border, narrowed evenly towards the apex, often curling backward, not bearing multiseptate hairs, with marginal setae at least in distal part, peltate, 4-6 mm long by 1 mm broad. Stipes usually dark brown, adaxially grooved, 1-17 cm long, glabrous or with few scales. Lamina compound (D. brassii Habitus), tripinnate towards base and in the middle part, deltoid and broadest towards base, glabrous, 2-15 cm long by 1.5-12 cm broad, not or slightly dimorphous (or rarely dimorphous). Longest petiolules 1-5 mm long. Pinnae ovate. Longest pinnae 1-7 cm long by 0.6-3 cm broad. Pinnules of at least the larger pinnae anadromous, rhomboid or linear oblong. Longest pinnules 4-45 mm long by 3-15 mm broad. Ultimate leaflets linear oblong or rhomboid, lobed almost to the midrib. Ultimate segments or lobes obtuse or acute without a tooth, 1-3 mm long by 0.5-0.8 mm broad. Upper ridge at the junction of the costa and pinna-rachis not swollen. Leaf axes glabrous. Veins in sterile ultimate lobes frequently simple, reaching the margin. False veins absent. Sori separate, frequently single on a segment, at the forking point of veins. Indusium attached at the broad base and hardly or not at the sides, more or less triangular to rhomboid, about as wide as long, 1 mm long by 1 mm broad, upper margin not elongated, truncate or slightly rounded, separated from or even with lamina margin (D. brassii SEM, picture of indusia). Lamina generally extending into a tooth at both sides or only at the outside of a sorus.
Distribution
Malesia: New Guinea (Irian Jaya, Lake Habbema 5 coll., Mt. Trikora 3 coll., Ugumba 1 coll.; Papua New Guinea, West Sepik, Mt. Capella 1 coll., Northern District, Mt. Kenive 1 coll., Mt. Kaindi 1 coll.).
Ecology
Epiphyte. Altitude (1750-)3000-3400 m.
Note
There is not always a clear distinction between D. brassii and Davallia repens . The scales are different, curling backwards and without multiseptate hairs in D. brassii , but sometimes, at lowe altitudes, collections with brassii -type of scales are found that possess multiseptate hairs. Possibly they are from hybrid origin.