Dryopteris athamantica (Kunze) O. Kuntze

athamantis: brightness; this may refer to the preference of this species for sunny open habitats.

Rhizome creeping, up to 25 mm in diameter; rhizome scales reddish-brown, narrowly lanceolate to linear, up to 22 mm long, margins with or without filamentous outgrows. Fronds tufted, erect, rigid, subcoriaceous. Stipe up to 37 cm long, straw-coloured, grooved, with scales similar to the rhizome towards the base. Lamina up to 75 × 27 cm, narrowly ovate-oblong to lanceolate in outline, 3-pinnatifid to 3-pinnate, basal pinnae hardly reduced. Pinnae up to 25 × 12 cm, usually forming an angle of less than 50° from the rhachis, narrowly triangular-oblong in outline, subglabrous on both surfaces. Pinnules narrowly oblong-lanceolate, deeply pinnatifid into oblong, obtuse ultimate lobes with shallowly crenate to subentire margins. Rhachis straw-coloured with a few hair-like, reddish-brown scales. Sori round, c. 1 mm in diameter, 1-3 per ultimate segment; indusia round to kidney-shaped, membranous, entire or slightly dentate.

Tropical to subtropical Africa.