Pteridella schweinfurthii hieron.
Pellaea schweinfurthii (Hieron.) Hieron. ex Diels
Pellaea maxima Bonap.
Pellaea holstii sensu Tardieu
Pellaea dura (Willd.) var. holstii sensu Schelpe

Rhizome shortly creeping to semi-erect, up to 5-7 mm in diameter; rhizome scales linear-lanceolate in outline, apex slowly tapering to a point, subentire, 3-7 mm long, reddish brown. Fronds monomorphic, tufted, erect, 7-50 cm tall, coriaceous. Stipe up to 25(-40) cm long, dark brown, subglabrous with with dense short stiff hairs on upper surface and few hair-like brown scales near the base. Lamina pinnate but sometimes lower pinnae -3-pinnulate, ovate to lanceolate in outline, up to 24 cm × 10 cm; pinnae in 5-22(-25) pairs, ovate-lanceolate, apex and base rounded, margin entire, 4 x 1 cm; pinnules narrowly elliptic to lanceolate in outline, apex rounded, cordate to rounded base articulated to a short petiole, 1-7.5(-9) x 0.3-2.5 cm, densely to sparsely hairy on both sides or becoming hairless above, paler green below; veins hardly visible and anastomosing; rhachis and secondary rhachises black, with short, soft hairs above, hairless below. Sori marginal, continuous; indusium entire, membranous, continuous.

dura: hard, referring to the stiff fronds; schweinfurthii: named after Schweinfurth.

Rocky outcrops and pavements, shady gullies in woodland, wooded grassland and bushland.

See African distribution.

Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Dem. Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Gabon, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sudan and South Sudan, Tanzania , Uganda.

Lithophytic, terrestrial.