English: Jewelled maiden fern; Red-stemmed maiden fern.
Synonym: Thelypteris opulenta; Amphineuron opulentum; Aspidium extensum; Cyclosorus extensus; Dryopteris extensa; Thelypteris extensa.
Region: Asia, China, Africa,
Madagascar; invasive in Peru, Costa Rica, Cocos Island, Cuba; Americas, Mexico, Central America,Caribbean.
Habitat: tropical; prefers moist soil, shady or partially shady areas; disturbed sites, secondary forests, along roadsides and trails.
Content: triterpenoids, flavonoids.
Use: ornamental, attractive leaves and hardiness.
BotanyFern; perennial; 70 to 150 cm tall, 60 cm wide.
Reproduction: via rhizomes, stolons and tubers.
Root: rhizomes shortly, creeping.
Stem: red; covered in red-brown, linear-lanceolate scales at the base
Leaves: approximate; stipes ± 30 cm, brownish; laminae 30 to 80 long, 20 to 30 cm wide; triangular, with deep lobes; bright green; bases not narrowed or slightly so, apices caudate; pinnae 10 to 20 pairs, almost sessile; proximal pair of pinnae slightly shortened; middle pinnae linear-lanceolate, 15 to 25, by 1 to 2 cm; bases rounded-truncate, or slightly cuneate on proximal pinnae; lobed 1/2-2/3 toward costae, apices long acuminate; segments 25-40 pairs, middle ones subfalcate, 4-8 x 2-3 mm, entire, subacute to obtuse at apices; veinlets 8-10 pairs, proximal pair anastomosing or only connivent, sometimes next vein running to sinus membrane.
Laminae herbaceous, yellowish green when dried, with several acicular hairs along veins on both surfaces, minute hairs and many minute yellow spherical glands along veins abaxially, also minute hairs between veins abaxially.
Sori: orbicular, submarginal, usually sterile on proximal one or two pairs of veins; indusia glabrous or glandular along margins.
Sporangia: bearing golden spherical glands on stalks.
Spores: cristate; numerous, dispersed by wind and water.