Christella buchananii (Schelpe) J. P. Roux

buchananii: named after the Reverend John Buchanan (1821-1903).

Rhizome shortly creeping, c. 10 mm in diameter; rhizome scales c. 5 mm long, dark brown, thinly pilose, entire. Fronds closely spaced, arching, not proliferous, thinly herbaceous. Stipe up to 25 cm long, pale to greyish brown, minutely pubescent to subglabrous. Lamina up to 1.6 × 0.54 m, narrowly elliptic to lanceolate in outline, deeply 2-pinnatifid, apex tapering to a point with a deeply pinnatifid terminal segment, basal pinnae 1 or 2 pairs reduced. Pinnae narrowly lanceolate, ultimate lobes oblong, slightly falcate, apex rounded, margin entire, basal acroscopic lobe enlarged and sometimes overlapping the rhachis; sparsely hairy on both surfaces, more so along the costa and costules; veins 2-3 pairs meeting below the sinus and a single vein joining in the sinus. Rhachis thinly set with long hairs. Sori round, up to 20 per lobe; indusia small, hairy, up to 1 mm wide.

Rare

Mozambique, South Africa, Zimbabwe