Christella dentata (Forsk.) Brownsey & Jermy

dentata: toothed; referring to the lobed pinnae

Rhizome shortly creeping, c. 10 mm in diameter; rhizome scales c. 5 mm long, dark brown, thinly pilose, entire. Fronds closely spaced, arching, not proliferous, thinly herbaceous. Stipe up to 25 cm long, pale to greyish brown, minutely pubescent to subglabrous. Lamina up to 1.6 × 0.54 m, narrowly elliptic to lanceolate in outline, deeply 2-pinnatifid, apex tapering to a point with a deeply pinnatifid terminal segment, basal pinnae 1 or 2 pairs reduced. Pinnae narrowly lanceolate, ultimate lobes oblong, slightly falcate, apex rounded, basal acroscopic lobe enlarged and sometimes overlapping the rhachis; sparsely hairy on both surfaces, more so along the costa and costules; veins 1 pair meeting below the sinus and sometimes a single vein joining in the sinus. Rhachis thinly set with long hairs. Sori round, up to 20 per lobe; indusia small, hairy, up to 1 mm wide.

Widespread in tropical and subtropical Africa, also in Yemen, Seychelles and Comoro Is., Madagascar, southern Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and introduced into tropical America.