''Pyrrosia eleagnifolia'', commonly known as the leather-leaf fern, or ota in

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...

, is a climbing fern

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. ''P. eleagnifolia'' has thick, fleshy rounded leaves, and grows both on the ground and as an

epiphyte An epiphyte is an organism that grows on the surface of a plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphytes grow are called phoroph ...

Name

This species was originally confused with ''Pyrrosia serpens'', a Pacific species. The name ''eleagnifolia'' refers to the leaf appearance, and comes from ''elaeagnus'' (olive) and ''folium'' (leaf).

Description

Leather-leaf fern has thick, undivided fronds that are rounded and extremely variable in length – they can be long and thin, up to 20 cm in length, or short and broad (2 cm, rarely 3 cm wide). The fronds grow on long creeping

rhizomes In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow hori ...

. Sterile fronds are generally shorter and broader than fertile ones. The fronds are thick and leathery, smooth and rounded, with blunt ends. They are dark green above and abundantly covered with light-brown irregularly-branched hairs underneath.

Distribution

''P. eleagnifolia'' is found throughout New Zealand, from the Kermadecs through to

Stewart Island Stewart Island ( mi, Rakiura, ' glowing skies', officially Stewart Island / Rakiura) is New Zealand's third-largest island, located south of the South Island, across the Foveaux Strait. It is a roughly triangular island with a total land ar ...

and the

Chatham Islands The Chatham Islands ( ) (Moriori: ''Rēkohu'', 'Misty Sun'; mi, Wharekauri) are an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean about east of New Zealand's South Island. They are administered as part of New Zealand. The archipelago consists of about te ...

. It is a very adaptable and durable species, able to tolerate dry conditions, and grows either as an

on trees (native or introduced) or on rocks, from the coast to the mountains. It is less common in the south of New Zealand, especially in

Central Otago Central Otago is located in the inland part of the Otago region in the South Island of New Zealand. The motto for the area is "A World of Difference". The area is dominated by mountain ranges and the upper reaches of the Clutha River and tributa ...

Ecology

Pests and diseases

Larvae from several moth species have been observed feeding on the leaves and sori of ''P. eleagnifolia''. These include '' Sarisa muriferata'', ''

Calicotis crucifera ''Calicotis crucifera'', the leather-leaf spore-eater, is a moth of the Stathmopodidae family. It is found in New Zealand and Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country compris ...

'', ''Philocryptica polypodii'', '' Apoctena taipana'', '' Eudonia zophochlaena'', ''

Scoparia illota ''Scoparia illota'' is a species of moth in the family Crambidae. It is endemic to New Zealand. The larvae of this species are leaf miners. Taxonomy It was described by Alfred Philpott in 1919 using specimens collected at Cromarty in Preservat ...

'' and ''

Scoparia molifera ''Scoparia molifera'', also known as the leather-leaf Scoparia, is a species of moth of the family Crambidae. This species was first described by Edward Meyrick in 1926 and is endemic to New Zealand. It can be found in the North and South Isla ...

''.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q7263780 Polypodiaceae Ferns of New Zealand Epiphytes