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NZ Plants

Ptisana salicina - para, king fern

Family: Marattiaceae

  • Plants

    L Jensen

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  • Dome-shaped woody stem with leaf stalks (stipes) of fronds

    L Jensen

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  • Emergence of young frond from the stem adjacent to a fan-shaped basal lobe (left)

    L Jensen

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  • Young frond with basal lobes from above

    L Jensen

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  • Stipe with basal lobes

    L Jensen

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  • Detached stipe with adhering basal lobes

    L Jensen

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  • Young leaflets with scales

    L Jensen

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  • Young leaflet, scales with filamentous margins

    L Jensen

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  • Mature frond, rachis with primary leaflets and secondary leaflets

    N Duggan

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  • Secondary leaflets, upper surface

    L Jensen

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  • Frond rachis with attached swollen bases of two primary leaflets

    L Jensen

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  • Secondary leaflets attched to midrib

    L Jensen

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  • Leaflet upper surface, midrib with scales

    L Jensen

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  • Secondary leaflets with jointed bases attached to midrib

    L Jensen

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  • Secondary leaflet upper surface, marginal teeth

    L Jensen

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  • Juvenile plant, pinnate first frond (top) and bipinnate second frond (below)

    L Jensen

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  • Young frond lower surface, enlarging groups of sporangia

    L Jensen

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  • Older frond lower surface, each group of sporangia is raised above the leaf surface and consists of 10--16 fused sporangia arranged into two rows

    L Jensen

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  • Frond with mature sporangia, sporagia groups have each split open with each sporangium releasing spores through a vertical slit

    L Jensen

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Ptisana salicina is a large terrestrial fern with a short stem that in older specimens forms a large woody dome-like mass. Fronds are clasped at their base by a pair of large ear-like lobes and consist of a stout stipe (stalk) which supports a large, heavy and glossy-green blade. Sporangia are fused into boat-shaped groups on the lower surface of leaflets
A species found in the upper half of the North Island in moist lowland forest.
Formerly known as Marattia salicina.

 

Vegetative characteristics

Fertile frond and sporangia

Plant form: tuberous stem with fronds up to 3 m in length

Frond appearance: similar to sterile frond

Frond stalk, midrib: green stalk with basal ear-like lobe;  midrib green, smooth

Sporangium location: lower frond surface

Frond shape: oval to triangular

Sporangium position: adjacent to leaflet margin

Frond blade: 2-pinnate (divided 2 times into leaflets or pinnae)

Sporangia distribution: groups (sori) fused in pairs

Frond surface: glossy green

Sorus shape: circular

Leaflets: oblong, smooth margin, tapering to tip   

 

Juvenile characteristics: frond pinnate (divided 1x)

Sorus covering: 0

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