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Rentep fern (Drynaria propinqua)

Rentep fern or Polypodium propinquum (Drynaria propinqua) is a plant species in Polypodiaceae, epiphytes, growing in sunny places, compound leaves with 6-18 minor leaves per strand, dark green and hard texture, smooth edges and orderly two linear sori under leaf.

D. propinqua have roots fibrous, adventitious and dark brown. Rhizome long creeping, up to 1 cm diameter, very densely scaly throughout. Scales persistent, narrowing from round peltate base to long-tailed apex, about 8 by 1.5 mm, pale brown with dark centre, the margin bearing long white downy hairs.

Dlium Rentep fern (Drynaria propinqua)

Nest-leaves sessile, ovate, about 20 cm in both length and width, deeply lobed more than half-way to midribs. Lobes narrowly subtriangular, acute at apex, entire, up to 7 by 2.5 cm, small scales with downy hairs more or less dense on main axes. Foliage-leaves stipes stramineous, up to 15 cm long, narrowly winged at least on the upper part.

Laminae oblong to oblong-lanceolate, up to 40 by 25 cm, deeply lobed almost to rachis, remaining wings of rachis less than 2 mm in breadth. Lobes 8-16 pairs, lanceolate, acute to acuminate at apex, slightly narrowing towards base, more or less ascending, up to 15 by 2.5 cm, entire.

Veins distinct on both surfaces, anastomosing, 2-4 rows of anastomosis between main veins, with included free veinlets, papyraceous, light green. Sori round, one row along each side and close to costa, one between adjacent main veins, a little raised on upper surface.

Rentep fern is commonly attached on trunks of trees, sspecially mossy tree trunks in dense evergreen forests. Sometimes they can be found terrestrially on exposed places and under canopy of trees at an altitude of 500-2000 meters above sea level.



Kingdom Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Class: Polypodiopsida
Subclass: Polypodiidae
Order: Polypodiales
Suborder: Polypodiineae
Family: Polypodiaceae
Subfamily: Drynarioideae
Genus: Drynaria
Species: Drynaria propinqua

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