The World Flora Online

Rhizome 2–3.5 mm thick, the few linear-subulate black scales 2.5–4 mm; lvs subdimorphic, 5–50 cm, with dark brown petiole and rachis; sterile blades spreading, 5–10 cm, very shortly petiolate, pinnate, with 15–22 pairs of sessile, alternate, crowded, oblong pinnae 7–10 × 3.5–4.5 mm, these rounded and remotely serrulate, tending to be auriculate at the upper base; fertile lvs few, erect, to 4.5 dm × 6 cm, short-petiolate, the blade linear-oblong, acute, narrowed basally, pinnate, the 30–50 pairs of alternate pinnae less crowded, more linear-oblong (except the reduced, more deltoid lowermost ones), to 3.5 cm × 6 mm, more prominently auriculate at the upper base and sometimes at the lower base as well, mostly serrate, seldom more deeply cleft; 2n=72. Woods, banks, and rocks in circumneutral soil; Que. and Ont. to se. Minn., Kans., and Colo., s. to Fla., Tex., and Ariz.

Terrestrial. Rhizome shortly creeping to suberect, with blackish brown scales. Fronds tufted, strongly erect, pinnate, lamina linear-elliptic to linear-oblanceolate, ± 240 x 26 mm, glabrous adaxially, subglabrous with minute, scattered scales abaxially; pinnae roughly rectangular, somewhat falcate and angled downwards, sessile, with enlarged acroscopic lobe, margins crenate to subentire; rachis black, glossy; stipe blackish brown, glabrous at maturity. Sporangia in linear, indusiate sori borne in 7-18 pairs set at 45° angle to midrib. Rhizome erect to suberect, c. 4 mm in diameter, set with dark brown to black, lanceolate-attenuate, subentire rhizome-scales c. 3 mm long. Fronds tufted, firmly membranous, not gemmiferous; stipe atrocastaneous, nitid, less than V6 lamina length, set at first with hair-like scales; lamina linear, c. 240 x 26 mm, pinnate, lower pinnae decrescent; pinnae in up to 50 pairs, subsessile, set at 90 or more to rhachis; midpinnae linear to oblong or lanceolate, auriculate acroscopically, base cordate, overlapping rhachis, margin somewhat irregularly crenate-serrate, incisions sometimes alternating deeper and shallower, upper surface glabrous, lower surface set with minute pale or dark-tipped scales; venation obscure. Sori up to 18 per pinna, c. 2 mm long; indusium membranous, erose, c. 0.5 mm broad. Rhizome suberect. Fronds to 24 cm, erect, tufted, stipe initially scaled, lamina linear, 1-pinnate, with up to 50 pinna pairs, pinnae oblong, auriculate acroscopically, margins irregularly crenate-serrate, sparsely scaled beneath. Sori to 14 pairs per pinna, indusium erose. Rhizome erect to suberect, c. 4 mm in diameter, set with dark brown to black, lanceolate-attenuate, subentire rhizome-scales c. 3 mm long. Fronds tufted, firmly membranous, not gemmiferous; stipe atrocastaneous, nitid, less than V6 lamina length, set at first with hair-like scales; lamina linear, c. 240 x 26 mm, pinnate, lower pinnae decrescent; pinnae in up to 50 pairs, subsessile, set at 90 or more to rhachis; midpinnae linear to oblong or lanceolate, auriculate acroscopically, base cordate, overlapping rhachis, margin somewhat irregularly crenate-serrate, incisions sometimes alternating deeper and shallower, upper surface glabrous, lower surface set with minute pale or dark-tipped scales; venation obscure. Sori up to 18 per pinna, c. 2 mm long; indusium membranous, erose, c. 0.5 mm broad. Rhizome suberect. Fronds to 24 cm, erect, tufted, stipe initially scaled, lamina linear, 1-pinnate, with up to 50 pinna pairs, pinnae oblong, auriculate acroscopically, margins irregularly crenate-serrate, sparsely scaled beneath. Sori to 14 pairs per pinna, indusium erose.

Forest margins and stream banks, 150-800 m. Forest floors, streambanks and shady ledges, 1200-2200 m. Mesic Grassland. Forest margins, among rocks and boulder bases in scrub and open grassland. Forest floors, streambanks and shady ledges, 1200-2200 m. Mesic Grassland. Forest margins, among rocks and boulder bases in scrub and open grassland.

Cape Province, Transkei, Natal, Lesotho and Transvaal. Also North America and Jamaica. Langeberg to Mpumalanga and N America. Langeberg to Mpumalanga and N America.

Roots not proliferous. Stems short-creeping, unbranched; scales dark brown to black throughout, narrowly linear-deltate, 2--4 × 0.3--0.6 mm, margins entire. Leaves ± dimorphic; fertile leaves taller and more erect than sterile leaves. Petiole reddish brown throughout, lustrous, 1--10 cm, 1/4--1/3 length of blade; indument of dark brown to black, filiform scales at base. Blade lustrous, linear to narrowly oblanceolate, 1-pinnate throughout, 4--50 × 2--5(--7) cm, thin, glabrous, or occasionally sparsely pubescent; base gradually tapered; apex acute, not rooting. Rachis reddish or purplish brown throughout, lustrous, glabrous. Pinnae in 15--45 pairs, oblong to quadrangular; medial pinnae 1--2.5 × 0.3--0.5 cm; base with conspicuous acroscopic and sometimes basiscopic auricle, this overlapping rachis; margins crenate to serrulate, sometimes more deeply incised in robust specimens; apex acute to obtuse. Veins free, evident. Sori 1--12 pairs per pinna, on both basiscopic and acroscopic sides. Spores 64 per sporangium. 2 n = 72.