Parablechnum capense (Burm. fil.) Gasper & Salino

capense: of the Cape; this fern was first collected in the southern tip of Africa.

Rhizome creeping, up to 2 cm thick; scales brown, ovate-acuminate, up to 15mm long, margins entire. Fronds closely packed, dimorphic, thinly herbaceous. Stipe up to 55 cm long, glabrous or set with a few scales towards the base, shiny. Sterile lamina 45-63 cm × 2-3 cm, oblong-lanceolate in outline with terminal pinnae equal in shape to the lateral pinnae, lower pinnae not reduced; pinnae narrowly attenuate to acute, margins finely toothed, base asymmetric broadly wedge-shaped to truncate, short petiole, widely spaced to overlapping, glabrous above, small scales on costae and veins below. Fertile lamina smaller or same size as sterile lamina; pinnae widely spaced, thin, linear. Sori linear, cover almost the whole length of the fertile pinnae; indusium continuous.

Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland and Zimbabwe