English: Fragrant fern.
Synonym: Microsorum scandens.
Clades: Zealandieae;
Microsoroideae,
Polypodiaceae.
Region: New Zealand, Australia, pacific islands; introduced to South Africa and Zimbabwe.
BotanyFern; partially epiphytic.
Root: 2 forms; from the sides grip the surface on which the plant grows; from underneath enter the substrate; long, creeping rhizomes, flattened from top to bottom, with cavities; bearing brown scales.
Leaves: veins prominent; undivided to deeply divided; up to 70 cm long, 40 cm wide; with or without a petiole, which if present is usually winged.
Sori: round or elongated.
TaxonomyThe division of the subfamily
Microsoroideae into genera has long been uncertain. A 2019 molecular phylogenetic study suggested that there were three clades, comprising species previously mainly placed in Microsorum, that were close to Lecanopteris sensu stricto and distinct from other clades in the subfamily. The authors of the study preferred to set up three extra monophyletic genera, rather than use a broader circumscription of Lecanopteris.
The Tribe Zealandieae has 4 genera: Bosmania, Dendroconche, Lecanopteris, Zealandia.