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Rock Felt Fern
Pyrossia rupestris
-27.5788, 151.988
Field Notes
Description:
Rock Felt Fern (aka Horseshoe Felt Fern) is a common fern of eastern Australia. It is an Epiphyte, and Epiphytic plants are sometimes called "air plants" because they don't root in soil. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epiphyte However, the species name 'rupestris' is from Greek and means growing near rocks, and it just so happens that P. rupestris can also be a Lithophytic plant and grow on rocks too.
Habitat:
Occurring in areas of part shade and high moisture. Usually found in rainforest or moist eucalyptus forest. Often seen on rainforest trees, quite high above the ground. This spotting was growing on a Norfolk Island Pine in Toowoomba, SEQ, at an elevation of around 700 metres (2,300 ft) above sea level. http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/214176002
Notes:
These ferns would usually occur in a moist rainforest setting, but Toowoomba is anything but that. Warm summers, and cool/cold winters. High moisture though, particularly in the form of mist and thick fog. I did notice that these ferns were growing on the western side of the tree only. They would catch the late afternoon sun, but I think it is more sheltered from the winds which travel up the mountainside from the Lockyer Valley to the east. PS: I think I have made the correct ID. If not, another possible contender for this spotting would be Pyrrosia confluens.
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