''Lastreopsis decomposita'', known as the trim shield fern, is a common plant found in eastern

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. The habitat is

rainforest Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfores ...

or moist sheltered

eucalyptus ''Eucalyptus'' () is a genus of over seven hundred species of flowering trees, shrubs or mallees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Along with several other genera in the tribe Eucalypteae, including '' Corymbia'', they are commonly known as euca ...

forests. It may form large colonies. This fern features delicate lacy fronds, up to 90 cm long. The segments are alternate on the stem, hairy and thin textured. The specific epithet ''decomposita'' is from Latin, it refers to the segments being compounded more than once. This species first appeared in the scientific literature as in 1810 as ''Nephrodium decompositum'', in the ''

Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae ''Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen'' (Prodromus of the Flora of New Holland and Van Diemen's Land) is a flora of Australia written by botanist Robert Brown and published in 1810. Often referred to as ''Prodromus Flora Novae ...

''. Authored by the prolific Scottish botanist, Robert Brown.

References

Dryopteridaceae Flora of New South Wales Flora of Victoria (Australia) Flora of Queensland Plants described in 1810 {{Dryopteridaceae-stub