Pyrrosia rupestris

Pyrrosia rupestris known as the rock felt fern is a common fern of eastern Australia. Occurring as an epiphyte or lithophyte in areas of part shade and high moisture. Usually found in rainforest or moist eucalyptus forest. Often seen on rainforest trees, quite high above the ground. However, it grows as far west at the more arid Warrumbungle National Park. In drought it shrinks and becomes desiccated. With rain or mist the fern recovers well.

Rock felt fern
Rock felt fern at Chatswood West growing on Hawkesbury sandstone
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Class: Polypodiopsida
Order: Polypodiales
Suborder: Polypodiineae
Family: Polypodiaceae
Genus: Pyrrosia
Species:
P. rupestris
Binomial name
Pyrrosia rupestris
Eight sori on the long mature leaves

The name Pyrrosia is from the Greek which refers to the flame colour of the hairs that cover the fronds on some species. Rupestris means growing near rocks. Rock felt fern grows from Victoria north through New South Wales and Queensland to New Guinea.

Description

Leaves are round or tongue like in shape. 2 cm round, or up to 10 cm long and 1.5 cm broad. Sterile leaves round, fertile leaves long and tongue shaped. Round dark sori (spores) seen under the long leaves. Rhizomes orange brown in colour, long and creeping. Able to grasp onto rocks or tree trunks.

Rock felt fern on Hawkesbury Sandstone, Chatswood West, Australia. Tiny birds nest ferns also growing on the rock
gollark: BRB, maximizing paperclips.
gollark: This is at least... internally consistent and whatever, I think, it's just rather horrifying and not something I want to be judged by or anyone to be judged by.
gollark: Oh, and if for some reason you're an *incredibly* self-confident person who thinks all acts they do are right, you'll turn out maximally non-evil.
gollark: Being vaguely aware of that sort of thing, and also that I live in a relatively comfortable position in what is among the richest societies ever, I feel bad about *not* doing more things, which would cause me to be more evil than someone who just ignores this issue forever, which is not, according to arbitrary moral intuitions I have™, something which an evilness measuring thing should say.
gollark: With any actual planning you can just give away as much as reasonably possible. It's just an issue of good management of stuff.

References
  • "Pyrrosia rupestris". PlantNET - NSW Flora Online. Retrieved 2010-01-16.
  • http://www.yarraranges.vic.gov.au/Directory/S2_Item.asp?Mkey=1002&S3Key=42%5B%5D
  • https://web.archive.org/web/20091005150644/http://www.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/welcome_to_bgt/mount_tomah_botanic_garden/the_garden/blooming_calendar/Pyrrosia_rupestris


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