Hypolepis lactea

Detailed description

Rhizome long-creeping, 1–2 mm diameter, covered in red-brown hairs 2.0–3.5 mm long, giving rise to stipes at intervals of 15–90 mm. Stipes 100–450 mm long, 15–35 mm diameter, dark purple-red to red-brown, bearing red-brown hairs up to 3 mm long, numerous at base, more scattered above, becoming replaced by abundant colourless glandular hairs which are very variable in length but generally shorter than the brown hairs. Laminae angular-ovate, 200–600–(900) × 125–350–(500) mm, pinnate at apex, tripinnate at base (almost quadripinnate in largest specimens), exuding white milky substance from upper surface with age. Rachis red-brown at base, becoming pale yellow brown at apex, densely covered in short glandular hairs (0.1–0.8 mm) and more scattered longer red-brown hairs (up to 2 mm long, but mostly c. 0.5 mm). Primary pinnae in 20–35 pairs + tapering pinnatifid terminal portion, opposite or subopposite, lower arising at 35–80°, upper ones at nearly 90°, longest ones below the middle and usually basal 65–380 × 40–150 mm; lowest ones 30–150–(200) mm apart, middle ones 10–50 mm apart; upper ones narrowly ovate or triangular to almost linear, lowest ovate or triangular, all with long tapering pinnatifid terminal portion. Secondary pinnae narrowly ovate, longest 24–90 × 9–30 mm, those on the lower pinnae decreasing markedly in length along the pinnae. Tertiary pinnae ovate, 5.0–16.0 × 3.0–7.5 mm, divided into 2–4 pairs of ultimate segments, broadly winged. Veins reaching margin at a tooth apex, often very slightly excurrent. Hairs: lamina margins, undersurfaces, veins, and midribs densely covered in short colourless glandular hairs (0.1–0.3 mm long on laminae, up to 0.4 mm on midribs), interspersed with occasional non-glandular hairs of same length; equal mixture of short colourless glandular and eglandular hairs on upper surface; occasional longer red-brown non-glandular hairs on midribs. Sori: usually one on acroscopic edge of each ultimate segment, sometimes second on basiscopic edge, originating away from margin,virtually unprotected. Spores pale brown, echinate.