Phil Bendle Collection:Blechnum montanum (Mountain kiokio)

Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Pteridophyta
Class: Pteridopsida
Order: Blechnales
Family: Blechnaceae
Species: B. montanum
Scientific name: Blechnum montanum
Synonym: Lomaria procera var. tegmentosa
Common names: Mountain kiokio, Mountain blechnum, Dunedin-Cass blechnum

Blechnum montanum is a hardy fern that grows in cold wet alpine conditions. It forms clumps (0.3m high) by a creeping rhizome. It grows from Mt Pirongia, the volcanic plateau and Mt Egmont/Taranaki south in the North Island and through the South, Chatham, Antipodes, Auckland and Campbell Islands. Its habitat is the forest timberline, in subalpine scrub, rocky and grass areas. The new fronds have a pink/red/orange colour. The spores are spread by wind.

For more details visit: http://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora_details.aspx?ID=1550

[1]

[2]

Thanks to Wikipedia for text and information: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ 

---