Woodwardia Sm.

Erect terrestrial ferns of moderate to large size. Rhizome a stout, erect or ascending caudex with tufted stipes, someitmes creeping with spaced stiped, radially symmetric, dictyostelic, densely covered with non clathrate, basally attached scales. Fronds uniform, long-stipitate, the stipe with several vascular strands, the lamina deeply bipinnatifid, sometimes pinnatifid, the pinnae sometimes stalked, firm, glabrous, margins eintire or serrulate; veins anastomosing to form a series of +/- elongate areoles along the costae and costules, the remainder free to the margin, simple or forked, or irregularly anastomosing. Sori occupying costal and/or costular areoles, the sporangia borne on the veins forming the areole, superficial or sunken, protected by a firm elongate indusium opening twoards the costule (or costa), a separate indusium for each areole, the sori thus interrupted along the pinnae or lobe; sporangia on a biseriate stalk, paraphyses lacking, annulus longitudinal, interrupted, of 18 - 24 thickened cells. Spores monolete smooth.

Species in Papuasia

? = W. radicans