Nephrolepis obliterata
Content
Distribution
Asia-Tropical: Maluku (Maluku present); New Guinea present, Australasia: Queensland (Queensland present), Carolines present, East Malesia present, New Britain present, New Caledonia present, Pacific present, Solomon Islands present, Vanuatu present
East Malesia to Australia (Queensland) and the Pacific (Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Carolines). In Malesia: Moluccas, New Guinea, New Britain.
Notes
1. The name N. saligna has been frequently applied to specimens of this species.
2. Nephrolepis obliterata is not easy to characterize. It usually has quite large pinnae, with nearly marginal sori. Characteristically, they are gradually narrowed from close to the base upwards, and gradually falcate from ± ½, sometimes all the way from the base. The best distinguishing characters are in the indument. The indument of N. obliterata differs from that of N. biserrata, with which it has often been confused, in the scales at the base of stipe being closely appressed, with a rather sharp transition to sparse, appressed, very translucent and inconspicuous peltate scales upwards on the stipe and on the rhachis. The very sparse, inconspicuous rhachis scales and the absence of hairs on the costae also distinguish it from N. brownii, N. davallioides or N. falciformis. In addition, N. brownii has usually less distinctly falcate pinnae, and those of N. falciformis are usually smaller.
2. Nephrolepis obliterata is not easy to characterize. It usually has quite large pinnae, with nearly marginal sori. Characteristically, they are gradually narrowed from close to the base upwards, and gradually falcate from ± ½, sometimes all the way from the base. The best distinguishing characters are in the indument. The indument of N. obliterata differs from that of N. biserrata, with which it has often been confused, in the scales at the base of stipe being closely appressed, with a rather sharp transition to sparse, appressed, very translucent and inconspicuous peltate scales upwards on the stipe and on the rhachis. The very sparse, inconspicuous rhachis scales and the absence of hairs on the costae also distinguish it from N. brownii, N. davallioides or N. falciformis. In addition, N. brownii has usually less distinctly falcate pinnae, and those of N. falciformis are usually smaller.