Thelypteris patens.
The loosely defined the family Thelypteridaceae has nearly 900 species originally all in the genus Thelypteris.
This has now been split into a number of genera including Christella, Cyclosorus and Thelypteris.
The family consists mostly of terrestrial ferns usually with a creeping rhizome.
Fronds are pinnate to 3-pinnatifid and vegetative and fertile fronds are very similar.
The lower pinnae (leaflets) are often smaller.
Sori are mostly round or kidney-shaped and the indusium has hairs.
Thelypteris patens or Thelypteris patens var. patens.
Maiden ferns are small terrestrial (occasionally lithophytic) ferns.
Unlike most ferns in the family Thelypteridaceae these have an erect rhizome.
There are scales on the rhizome and the frond stalk.
The evergreen, clustered fronds are all similar.
They are often about 100 cm long with a 50 cm, scaly stalk.
The blades gradually taper towards the tip.
They are pinnate or pinnate-pinnatifid if the blade is not completely divided to the midrib.
The midrib has a groove on the upper surface and wide scales underneath.
The leaflets (pinnae), with short or no stalks, have slightly coiled tips.
Leaflets are deeply incised into small segments.
The bottom pair of segments are much longer and lie roughly parallel to the frond midrib.
Sori are round or oblong and lie along the veins.
They are covered by small brown indusia.
The following specimen, in the Mt. Coot-tha Botanic Gardens is labelled Thelypteris patens ‘Lepida’.
I have not found any information on this variety.
J.F.
