Doodia - Blechnaceae

Doodia caudata (Cav.) R.Br.

 

 

 

 

Synonyms

Doodia squarrosa sensu Roux, non Colenso

Common name

Description

Rhizome erect up to 10 cm to creeping; rhizome scales brown. Fronds dimorphic, fertile laminae more erect & bigger than sterile ones. Stipe slender, short, dark towards the base, without tubercles. Fertile frond : stipe 10.5-15.5; lamina pinnate, 21-26 x 3-6.5 cm, with very long apical segment; pinnae simple, oblong to linear-lanceolate in outline, margins sharply toothed, stalked to adnate or decurrant, up to 1.5-5 x 0.2-0.5 cm; rhachis and pinna midrib without tubercles. Sterile frond : stipe 5.5-8 cm; lamina deeply pinnatifid to pinnate, 12-30 x 2.5-5 cm, with very long apical segment; pinnae simple, oblong in outline, apex rounded, margins toothed, up to 1.5-3.2 x 0.25-0.6 cm; veins anastomosing forming areoles on either side of costa. Sori 0.8-10 mm long, in 1 row on each side of the costa, nearer to the midrib, rarely with a partial second row, often becoming confluent when mature especially across the costa; indusium linear, entire to repand, opnening towards the costa.

Notes

Derivation

caudata: tailed; the laminae of this species have a long drawn-out apex.

Habitat

Seasonally moist earth banks, roadsite cuttings, forest margins, sheltered inside of sinkholes in open grassland.

Distribution worldwide

Australia, naturalised in Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.

Distribution in Africa

South Africa.

Growth form

Terrestrial.

Literature

  • Crouch, N.R., Klopper, R.R., Burrows, J.E. & Burrows, S.M. (2011) Ferns of Southern Africa, A comprehensive guide. Struik Nature. Pages 744 - 745. (Includes a picture).
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