Lastreopsis
Shield Ferns
15 species native AUST.; Qld, N.S.W., Vic., Tas., S.A.,
Terrestrial ferns mostly 0.3–1m high. Rhizome long-creeping, shortly creeping or rarely erect; scales thin, narrowly lanceolate to narrowly ovate,never clathrate nor iridescent brown or rarely castaneous or almost black; the apex acute or acuminate; the cells thick-walled, rectangular or hexagonal, with red or yellow lumina; the margin entire or slightly to very denticulate or with a few fimbriate or glandular-headed processes . Fronds decompound, 5-angular, with the lowest pair of primary pinnae strongly basiscopically produced, catadromous throughout (Fig. 11) or more often anadromous in the upper segments, rarely anadromous throughout. Frond-margin thickened including where it is decurrent along the costae. Main rhachis bordered above by 2 prominent ridges which are continuous with the thickened frond-margin of the pinnae (Fig. 11); the broad, intervening shallow channel filled by a scarcely raised vein which is mostly clothed with short, articulated, unbranched, reddish hairs or rarely glanduloso-pubescent. Costae raised. Veins free; the minor veinlets simple or forked. Sori round, up to 2 mm diam., terminal or medial on the simple minor veinlets or their acroscopic branchlets, indusiate or rarely exindusiate. Indusium reniform-orbicular or rarely peltate, glabrous or villous; the margin crenate, entire or glandular-fimbriate. Sporangia with an annulus composed of 13–16 thick-walled cells and 8–9 thin-walled cells including a 2-celled stomium; the pedicel long, narrow, usually with 1 or more rarely 2, oblong, red or yellow, stalked glands. Spores bilateral, globoso-ellipsoidal, usually covered with balloon-like wings over the whole surface of the spore (i.e. sacco-rugulate) or with a crested perispore having a broken or more rarely an interrupted wing. Glandular hairs cylindrical or rarely rounded, yellow or orange or red, scattered over the lower surface and sometimes the upper surface of the lamina, costae, costules and sometimes on the indusia.