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NZ Plants


Blechnum minus - swamp kiokio

Hard fern family: Blechnaceae

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

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