broadly rhomboid, divided half-way down, cuneate at the base; valves broad, rounded.—Hook. Sp. Fil. i. 101; Hook. f. Fl. Antarct. i. 105; Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 12; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 353; Hook. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 58; Benth. Fl. Austral. vii. 705; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 38. H. semibivalve, Hook and Grev. Ic. Fil. t. 83; A. Rich. Fl. Nouv. Zel. 94; A. Cunn. Precur. n.241; Raoul, Choix, 39. H. imbricatum, Col. in Tasm. Journ. Nat. Sci. (1845) 27.
North and South Islands, Stewart Island, Chatham Islands, Auckland Islands: From Mongonui and Kaitaia southwards, not uncommon. Sea-level to 3000 ft.
A widely distributed plant, found in Australia and Tasmania, Polynesia, Japan, South Africa and Mauritius, and extratropical South America. It is easily recognised by the extremely slender capillary stipes, pendulous pale glaucous-green fronds, broad flat entire segments, and large orbicular sori. When growing in exposed places it is often much dwarfed, with closely imbricating pinnæ, constituting Colenso's H. imbricatum.
2. H. polyanthos, Swartz, Syn. Fil. 149; var. sanguinolentum Hook. Sp. Fit. i. 107.—Forming matted patches on the trunks or branches of trees or on rotten logs. Rhizome rather stout, creeping, much branched, usually bristly with reddish-brown hairs. Fronds erect or decurved, somewhat opaque, dull olive-green, reddish-brown when dry, 2–9 in. high, broadly ovate or oblong, 3-pinnatifid, glabrous or the stipes and rhachis with scattered red-brown hairs when young. Stipes rather stout, narrowly winged above; rhachis broadly winged throughout, stout, flexuose. Primary pinnæ close or rather distant, spreading, rarely decurved; secondary short, deeply pinnatifid. Segments narrow-linear, obtuse, flat or the margins undulate. Sori mainly in the upper part of the frond, usually terminating short somewhat contracted lateral segments, quite free or very slightly sunk at the base. Indusium broader than the segment, broadly ovate or suborbicular, 2-valved to the base; valves obtuse, entire or slightly sinuate, often crested on the back.—Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. ii. 14; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 354; Hook, and Bak. Syn. Fil. 60; Thoms. N.Z. Ferns, 38; Field, N.Z. Ferns, 58, t. 28, f. 7. H. sanguinolentum, Swartz, Syn. Fil. 148, 376; A. Rich. Fl. Nouv. Zel. 93; A. Cunn. Precur. n. 234; Raoul, Choix, 38. H. lophocarpum, Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvii. (1885) 255. Trichomanes sanguinolentum, Forst. Prodr. n. 465.
North and South Islands, Stewart Island, Auckland Islands: Abundant in forests throughout. Sea-level to 3000 ft.
One of the most abundant species of the genus in New Zealand. It stains paper brown when drying, and gives off a peculiar odour, which it often retains for years. The species, in some of its forms, is found in almost all tropical countries, but apparently not in Australia.
3. H. villosum, Col. in Tasm. Journ. Nat. Sc. (1845) 25.—Forming dense matted patches on the trunks of trees or amongst moss. Rhizome much branched, wiry, creeping. Fronds erect or
