Giant Maidenhair

Description:

Too worried about snakes at the time, I didn't think twice about this spotting. I encountered a large red-belly black snake only 15 minutes prior (and a small one 5 minutes before that), and my heart was still pounding. They love this sort of area, and these fern groves provide excellent cover, particularly with the creek nearby. My attention was on my next step, not on taking photos. Anyway, this species is known as "giant maidenhair" or "black stem maidenhair", and is a terrestrial fern native to Australia and New Zealand. It is a member of the family Pteridaceae (syn. Adiantaceae). This species grows in most types of rainforest, is delicate in appearance but incredibly tough and hardy if it has moisture (which it does here). Adiantum formosum is listed as Vulnerable in Victoria (native to East Gippsland) and At Risk in New Zealand.

Habitat:

Spotted by Enoggera Creek at margin of native rainforest, in the Brisbane Forest Park. This is a flood-prone area during heavy rains. Grows in colonies in rainforest or open forest, or on alluvial flats near streams.

Notes:

Adiantum formosum, amongst many other species, is incredibly important to the forest ecosystem. This is a flood-prone area, but this type of forest vegetation holds the soil in place and reduces erosion. The last two photos are of the creek which has undergone flooding during the past couple of weeks. My spotting is looking a little worse-for-ware, but it has done its job. In areas with no vegetation, tree root systems are exposed and the trees undermined (last photo). Another important species that grows well in this area alongside giant maidenhairs - http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/148...