Thelypteris dentata (Forssk.) E. P. St. John var. buchananii Schelpe

Rhizome shortly creeping, c. 10 mm in diameter; rhizome scales c. 5 mm long, dark brown, thinly pilose, entire. Fronds monomorphic, closely spaced, arching, not proliferous, thinly herbaceous. Stipe up to 25 cm long, pale to greyish brown, minutely pubescent to subglabrous. Lamina deeply 2-pinnatifid, narrowly elliptic to lanceolate in outline, apex tapering to a point with a deeply pinnatifid terminal segment, basal pinnae 1 or 2 pairs reduced, up to 1.6 × 0.54 m; pinnae narrowly lanceolate, ultimate lobes oblong, slightly falcate, apex rounded, margin entire, basal acroscopic lobe enlarged and sometimes overlapping the rhachis; sparsely hairy on both surfaces, more so along the costa and costules; rhachis thinly set with long hairs; veins 2-3 pairs meeting below the sinus and a single vein joining in the sinus. Sori round, up to 20 per lobe; indusia small, hairy, up to 1 mm wide.

Christella dentata has 1 pair of veins meeting below the sinus and a single vein joining in the sinus, 1 or 2 pairs gradually reducing basal pinnae. Pneumatopteris unita has an erect rhizome and 4 to 5 pairs of veins meeting below or at the sinus.
C. buchananii look for: creeping rhizome, 2 or 3 pairs of gradually reducing pinnae, 2 or 3 pairs of veins meeting below the sinus.

buchananii: named after the Reverend John Buchanan (1821-1903).

Deeply shaded streambanks in low to medium altitude, evergreen or semideciduous forest.

See African distribution.

Mozambique, South Africa, Zimbabwe.

Terrestrial.