Phlebodium aureum

Phlebodium aureum – Hare foot fern.

It is also known as the Rabbit’s Foot or Goldfoot fern.

Pteridophyta > Polypodiales > Polypodiaceae.

Phlebodium was recently split from Polypodium and the original names, Polypodium aureum and
    Polypodium leucatomos are now synonyms.

The ferns are mostly epiphytic with a few terrestrial.
They can loose their leaves for a short period in dry weather.

The creeping rhizomes are densely covered with long reddish-brown to gold scales.

Arching fronds, up to 1.3 m long and 50 cm wide, are deeply lobed with up to 35 pairs of leaflets.
Younger fronds have a bluish-white coating and mature ones are bright green.
The frond stalk can be up to 50 cm long with a few scales at the bottom.

The leaflets are lanceolate or linear with a pointed tip and smooth or wavy margins.
Each can be up to 20 cm long and 4 cm wide.

A network of much branched veins divide the leaflets into polygonal areas – characteristic of the genus.
The many veins give the genus its name – ‘phlebos’ meaning ‘veins’.

Sori are round, about 2 mm across and in 1, or sometimes 2, rows on either side of the midrib.
They are at the junction of 2 small veins and have no indusium.

J.F.