Davallia tasmani Field, 1890
Description
Rhizome without the scales 4.5-8 mm in diametre, not white waxy. Scales brown or red-brown, with pale border from base to apex, narrowed evenly towards the apex, curling backward or not, bearing multiseptate hairs at least when young, peltate, 5-7 mm long by 1-2 mm broad. Stipes adaxially grooved, 7-16 cm long, glabrous or with few scales. Lamina compound (D. tasmani Habitus), rhomboid, tripinnate or quadripinnate towards base, broadest towards base, glabrous, 9-15 cm long by 10-16 cm broad, not or slightly dimorphous. Longest petiolules 3-10 mm long. Pinnae rhomboid, longest 5-10 cm long by 3.5-8 cm broad. Pinnules of at least the larger pinnae anadromous, ovate. Longest pinnules 30-60 mm long by 15-35 mm broad. Ultimate leaflets lobed almost to the midrib. Ultimate segments or lobes obtuse or acute without a tooth, 2-6 mm long by 1.5-2 mm broad. Upper ridge at the junction of the costa and pinna-rachis with a swollen lip or not. Margins of the lamina of each leaflet thickened and decurrent on the edge of the grooved rachis. Veins in sterile ultimate lobes pinnate, reaching the margin or not. False veins not present. Sori separate, frequently single on a segment at the forking point of veins. Indusium also attached along the sides, pouch-shaped, oblong, longer than wide, 1.7-2 mm long by 1 mm broad, upper margin not elongated, truncate or slightly rounded, separated from or even with lamina margin. Lamina generally extending into a tooth at both sides of a sorus, or not extending into teeth beyond a sorus.
Distribution
New Zealand: North Island (Three Kings Island). According to Brownsey (1985) also in Puketi Forest, Northland. That seems, however, to be an other species, maybe introduced, of yet unknown status (oral communication by Dr. John E. Braggins).
Note
This species resembles very much Davallia canariensis . As a matter of fact, the only constant difference is the rhizome not being white waxy. Further research is needed to know whether this is derived from an early introduction.