Doodia australis

Detailed description

Vegetative reproduction by stolons or shortly branching rhizome. Rhizome rarely prostrate and creeping; clad in dense black scales. Fronds: fertile and sterile fronds mostly similar sometimes moderately dimorphic; more or less erect or sterile fronds sometimes inclined to prostrate; harsh; lamina 110–600 mm long. Stipes and raches bearing brown scales, these more persistent at the stipe base though mostly shed at frond maturation; pubescent. Pinnae c. 20-50 pairs or subopposite; middle pinnae rounded, acute or acuminate at apex; lower pinnae attached by costae, sometimes with auricles developed, or very rarely adnate to the rachis, lowest pair rarely longer than the pairs immediately above them; middle pinnae usually completely, but often partly, adnate, occasionally decurrent, rarely auriculate; upper pinnae adnate to decurrent; terminal pinna 3–55 mm long (0.02–0.11–(0.33)× frond length). Longest pinnae 5.0–100.0 × 2.5–10 mm. Distance between middle pinnae 1–8 mm (0.5–2× pinna width). Sori in one row, a second row often partly to nearly completely developed; discrete to more or less confluent, sometimes covering pinna midrib. Indusium c. 2 mm long rarely less, more or less linear.