Compilation
Asplenium rutifolium

Lithophyte, epiphyte or terrestrial; rhizome erect, to 50 mm long and to 25 mm diameter, with dark brown lanceolate to narrowly ovate acute rhizome scales 4–9x0.8–1.2(–2.2) mm with or without narrow pale borders, subentire or sometimes with a few hair-like lobes. Fronds tufted (once described as rhizome shortly creeping, fronds shortly spaced, Faden 69/327), usually stiffly erect, not proliferous. Stipe brown abaxially, green adaxially, 3–20 cm long, either with scattered scales to 3x1.3 mm with dark brown midpart and broad pale margins or glabrous except for scattered minute dark brown ovate acuminate scales, becoming glabrous with age. Lamina ovate to narrowly oblong in outline, 7–40x3–10(–12) cm, thinly to thickly coriaceous, 2-pinnatisect to 3-pinnatisect, with basal pinnae hardly or not reduced, apex gradually decrescent; pinnae 13–28 pairs, oblong and attenuate or obtuse, the largest 3–7x0–7–1.3(–1.7) cm, shortly stalked, deeply pinnatifid into mostly linear or very narrowly spatulate segments set at 45°, 3.5–8x0.6–1.2 mm (up to 2 mm across sori) but with the acroscopic basal segment often 2–9-lobed, often with some of the basal segments 2-fid to 2-lobed, apices obtuse, basiscopic base sub-dimidiate, glabrous on both surfaces except for occasional minute dark narrowly ovate scales. Rachis narrowly winged or ridged laterally, pale brown when dry with occasional minute dark brown ovate scales. Sori 1 per pinna lobe, ellipsoid, borne halfway along the length of the lobe or slightly higher and reaching from the costule to or beyond the margin, facing towards the pinna apex, 1.3–3.5 mm in our area, elsewhere 0.8–5 mm long; indusium oblong, membranous, entire, to 0.8 mm wide. Fig. 9: 5–6, p. 54.