Botanical name
Blechnum attenuatumFamily
BlechnaceaeCommon Name
Large Deer FernDescription
Rhizome creeping to suberect. Fronds up to 90cm long, glabrous, dark green; pinnae tapering to a sharp point, bases of pinnae adnate (join directly onto) the rachis; young fronds brown to red; sori are as long as the pinnae; indusium linear, entire (indusium = epidermal outgrowth which covers the sori when young).
Latin: attenuatum = tapering to a point; an apt description of the pinnae of this species which taper to a sharp point.
Greek: blechnon = fern.
Habitat
Wet habitats on forest floor, along streambanks and on higher cliffs; frequently seen in the spray zone of waterfalls.