Gleichenia Sm.

Coral Ferns

7 species native AUST.; all states and territories

Terrestrial ferns, often of straggling habit, frequently growing in rock crevices. Rhizome long-creeping, clothed with scales. Fronds herbaceous or coriaceous, once forked or branched pseudo-dichotomously. Primary lateral axes mostly pectinato-pinnate, devoid of accessory pinnae, clothed often very densely with woolly-fimbriate or laciniate scales and/or with stellate hairs. Dormant leaf-apices in the forks of the axes, protected by imbricate fimbriate scales. Pinnae in divaricate pairs, bipinnate. Pinnules ± linear. usually spreading almost at right angles to the axes. Ultimate segments less than 5 mm long, flat, recurved or pouch-like, semiorbicular, oblong or ovate-triangular, glabrous or often densely woolly-tomentose with fimbriate or stellate scales and hairs, Sori solitary, often immersed, almost terminal on the basal acroscopic branch of the vein, composed of 2–4 (rarely 6) sporangia. Paraphyses present. Spores tetrahedral.