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NZ Plants

Hymenophyllum lyallii

Filmy fern family: Hymenophyllaceae

  • Epiphytic plants

    L Jensen

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  • Creeping stem (rhizome) with frond and roots

    I MacDonald

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  • Frond stalks (stipes) with hairs

    L Jensen

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  • Frond with leaflets

    I MacDonald

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  • Frond upper surface, leaflet tip with hairs

    L Jensen

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  • Fertile frond upper surface, leaflets with terminal recessed sori

    L Jensen

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  • Leaflets, sori with cup-shaped indusium covering

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  • Sorus from above with unopened sporangia at base of indusium cup

    L Jensen

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Hymenophyllum lyallii is a small pale green epiphytic filmy fern with long-creeping stems (rhizomes) bearing distinctive fan-shaped fronds with marginal forked hairs and deeply recessed sori.
A species found on tree trunks throughout New Zealand.
 

Vegetative characteristics

Fertile frond and sporangia

Plant form: creeping rhizome with fan-shaped fronds up to 4 x 3 cm

Frond appearance: similar to sterile frond

Frond stalk, midrib: stalk with forked hairs; midrib repeatedly forking

Sporangium location: on terminal ends of leaflets

Frond shape: fan-shaped

Sporangium position: leaflet margin

Frond blade: 1-3-pinnate (divided 1-3 times into leaflets or pinnae)

Sporangia distribution: in groups (sori)

Frond surface: filmy, translucent

Sorus shape: rounded

Leaflets: oblong, marginal forked hairs

Sorus covering: indusium widely gaping with forked hairs

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