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NZ Plants
Blechnum minus - swamp kiokio
Hard fern family: Blechnaceae
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Plant
L Jensen
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Sterile frond (left) and fertile frond (right)
I MacDonald
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Frond stalk (stipe) with scales
L Jensen
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Sterile frond upper surface, midrib (rachis) with leaflets
L Jensen
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Sterile frond upper surface, midrib (rachis) with scales
L Jensen
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Sterile frond upper surface, rachis with small hairs
L Jensen
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Leaflet margin, upper surface
L Jensen
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Leaflet margin, lower surface with scales
L Jensen
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Fertile frond upper surface, rachis with leaflets
L Jensen
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Fertile frond lower surface, rachis and leaflets with sori
L Jensen
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Fertile leaflet lower surface, indusium covering sporangia and hairs
L Jensen
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Sorus with indusium covering unopened sporangia amongst hairs
L Jensen
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Blechnum minus has a short creeping stem bearing bright green sterile fronds with widely spaced leaflets. Fertile fronds are often longer that sterile with leaflets that are long, tapering and erect. It differs from B. novae-zelandiae by its shorter more delicate fronds with fewer and more widely spaced leaflets
A species of streamsides, moist lowland forest and swamps throughout New Zealand.
Vegetative characteristics |
Fertile frond and sporangia |
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Plant form: a short creeping stem bearing fronds up to 80 cm long |
Frond appearance: erect, longer than sterile fronds and with widely spaced, narrow erect leaflets |
Frond stalk, midrib: scales present at base of stalk |
Sporangium location: on lower frond surface |
Frond shape: elliptic |
Sporangium position: leaflet margin |
Frond blade: pinnate (divided 1 x into leaflets or pinnae) |
Sporangium distribution: in groups (sori) |
Frond surface: leathery |
Sorus shape: in a continuous line either side of midrib |
Leaflets: longest at mid-frond; oblong shape with rounded base and tapering at the tip; margin smooth or minutely toothed. attached by a short stalk |
Sorus covering: linear covering (indusium) opening toward midrib |
