Hypolepis rufobarbata

Detailed description

Rhizome long-creeping, 1–2 mm diam., covered in dark red-brown hairs up to 4 mm long, giving rise to stipes at intervals of 20–80 mm. Stipes 45–300 mm long, 0.7–2.5(–3.0) mm diam., dark purple-red to red-brown, bearing abundant red-brown eglandular hairs (to 3 mm long) and shorter red-brown glandular hairs. Laminae narrowly ovate to ovate, (60)–150–550–(650) × (20)–50–250 mm, pinnate or bipinnate at apex, tripinnate at base (occasionally bipinnate in very small specimens). Rachis red-brown at base becoming pale yellow-brown only near apex, densely covered in red-brown hairs of various lengths with some widely-spaced eglandular hairs up to 3 mm long but the majority shorter (< 1 mm) and either glandular or eglandular. Primary pinnae in 17–25 pairs + pinnatifid apex, opposite or subopposite, the lower arising at (30)–40–70–(90)°, upper ones at nearly 90°, longest ones below middle 25–190 mm; lowest pairs 35–120 mm apart, middle ones 10–50 mm; upper ones parallel sided or narrowly ovate, lower ovate or triangular. Secondary pinnae ovate or narrowly ovate, longest 8–40 × 4–17 mm, those on the lower pinnae decreasing markedly in length along the pinnae. Tertiary pinnae 3–8 × 1.5–5.0 mm, slightly incised, bearing 1–3 pairs sori (deeply incised in very large specimens). Veins reaching the margin at a tooth apex. Hairs brown, bristly (mostly 0.25–0.5 mm) abundant on margins and both surfaces (especially upper) of lamina (often rather pale in young specimens), interspersed with pale glandular and eglandular hairs on lamina undersurface (few also on top surface); pinna midribs similar to rachis with longer red-brown bristly hairs and some red-brown short glandular and non-glandular hairs. Sori in pairs on ultimate pinnules, originating away from margin, unprotected. Spores pale brown.