Lomaria procera sensu Sim
Blechnum sylvaticum Schelpe
Blechnum capense (L.) Schltdl.
Osmunda capensis L.
Onoclea capensis (L.) Sw.
Spicanta capensis (L.) Kuntze

Rhizome creeping, up to 2 cm thick; scales brown, ovate-acuminate, up to 20 mm long, margins entire. Fronds closely packed, dimorphic, thinly herbaceous. Stipe up to 55 cm long, straw-coloured to almost black, glabrous or set with a few scales towards the base, shiny. Sterile lamina 45-63 cm × 2-3 cm, oblong-lanceolate in outline with terminal pinnae equal in shape to the lateral pinnae, lower pinnae not reduced; pinnae narrowly lanceolate in outline, apex tapering to a point, margins finely toothed, base asymmetric broadly wedge-shaped to truncate, short petiole, widely spaced to overlapping, glabrous above, small scales on costae and veins below. Fertile lamina smaller or same size as sterile lamina; pinnae widely spaced, thin, narrowly linear. Sori linear, cover almost the whole length of the fertile pinnae; indusium continuous, lacerate, c. 1.5 mm wide.

Differs from similar species by having thinly textured fronds, crenate-serrate sterile pinnae margins and a shortly creeping rhizome.

capense: of the Cape; this fern was first collected in the southern tip of Africa.

Terrestrial fern of wet shaded earth banks and along streambanks.

See African distribution.

Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland, Zimbabwe.

Terrestrial.