| Pteridophyte | Literature for Dryopteris wallichiana
Palmer, 2003. |
| Dryopteridaceae | Bibliography |
| Dryopteris wallichiana | |
Common name(s): shield fern, wood fern, `i`o nui, laukahi |
| General Information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Distribution | Native to Madagascar, Africa, India, Nepal, China, Japan, and the Americas from Mexico to Argentina.In the Hawaiian Islands, indigenous to Kaua`i, O`ahu, Moloka`i, Maui, Hawai`i. | |
| Habitat | Mesic forests and open areas | |
| Elevation | 850-2740 m |
|
| Habit |
Terrestrial, medium-sized to large; rhizomes erect to decumbent, up to 45 cm long, retaining old stipes. |
|
| Leaves |
Fronds arranged in a shuttlecock shape on apexes of rhizomes, up to 1.5 m long; stipe about 1/3 frond length; scales densely covering entire stipe, linear-lanceolate, reddish to brown, shiny; blade mostly 1-pinnate-pinnatisect, elliptical to lanceolate, dark green above, light green below, coriaceous; rachises covered with scales like those on stipe; pinnae 20-45 pairs, linear to linear-lanceolate, middle pinnae 5.5-15 cm long, several basal pinnae tapering to 1/3-1/2 length of middle pinnae, medial and lower pinnae not overlapping ultimate segments slightly falcate, 8-12 x 3-5 mm, completely adnate, unlobed, lateral margins entire, tips truncate with small teeth; veins free, pinnate, depressed on adaxial surface, conspicuous abaxially. |
|
| Sori |
Sori medial, mostly 2-4 pairs per segment, usually limited to distal 1/2 of blade; indusia reniform. |
|
| Notes |
Name honors Nathanial Wallich (1786-1854), Danish physician and botanist, superintendent of the Calcutta Botanical Garden and plant collector in Singapore, Malaysia, Assam, South Africa, and India. |
|
| Contributor |
Sally Eichhorn |