Family:
Thelypteridaceae.
Region: Pacific islands, Oceania.
Habitat: tropical and subtropical forest environments, often in moist, shaded areas such as rainforests, on the forest floor or sometimes as an epiphyte on tree trunks or other surfaces.
Ecology: stabilizing soil; preserving the forest floor; humidity regulation .
Use: mild medicinal; ornamental, for its delicate fronds and ability to thrive in shaded conditions.
BotanyFern; small to medium-sized; delicate, ferny appearance.
Rhizome: creeping; slender; covered with fine, brownish scales.
Leaves: pinnate; long; slender; finely divided leaflets, somewhat leathery; up to 30 to 40 cm long; emerge directly from the rhizome in a rosette-like arrangement.
Sori: linear; located along the edges of the leaflets or veins; no true indusium, but partially protected by a reflexed leaf margin.