Pellaea pteroides some dissimilar frond segments

    Pellaea pteroides some dissimilar frond segments
    Author: Ivan Lätti
    Photographer: Thabo Maphisa

    Pellaea pteroides frond segments start off pointed as some in the photo, becoming elliptic and later ovate or lanceolate. Older ones may have a lobed heart-shape at the base. Surface gloss arrives later as the blades get harder. The segment petiolules are very short to debatable.

    The sori, clusters of sporangia that contain the spores or reproductive cells of the fern, are positioned along the margins on the lower surfaces of the frond segments. They are covered by a continuous indusium or membranous overgrowth, formed by the reflexed margin (iNaturalist; Wikipedia; https://www.fernkloof.org.za).

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