Cheilanthes austrotenuifolia

Cheilanthes austrotenuifolia
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Pteridophyta
Class:	Polypodiopsida
Order:	Polypodiales
Family:	Pteridaceae
Genus:	Cheilanthes
Species:	C. austrotenuifolia
Binomial name
Cheilanthes austrotenuifolia H.M.Quirk & T.C.Chambers

Cheilanthes austrotenuifolia is a species of Australian rock fern from the family Pteridaceae. Once a common understory plant prior to European settlement of the Adelaide Plains in South Australia, Cheilianthes austrotenuifolia is still quite widespread in temperate rural remnant scrub, such as areas of the Adelaide Hills.

Bright green fronds grow from an underground rhizome. The plant spreads through division of this rhizome, and also by spores held under the fronds. Fronds die down in summer and return with the rain.^[1]

The plant is very difficult to propagate using spores, but it may be more easily done using sections of the rhizome.^[2]

References

1. ^ "Plants of the Adelaide plains and hills". Library of South Australia. 
2. ^ "The Native Plants of Adelaide". Department for Environment and Heritage. http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/site/page.cfm. Retrieved 21 March 2011.