Weeping Spleenwort

Description:

This attractive epiphytic fern had pendulous fronds with a central rib and deeply divided finger-like pinnules. On the underside of the pinnules were oblong sori which are spore sacs covered by a thin membrane (pic 3). Pic 4 shows mature clusters of naked sporangia.

Habitat:

Spotted growing on a southern beech tree (Nothofagus) in a moist rainforest in Victoria.

Notes:

Epiphytic ferns attach themselves to trees or logs by root-like structures. In rainforests they grow high up on trees where they get moisture from rain and dappled sunlight. Leaf litter and debris trapped in their nesting fronds decay naturally and provide them with the nutrition they need.
This fern is native to Australia and is seen in all eastern states on the mainland and Tasmania.
family Aspleniaceae