About Pellaea nana (Hook.) Bostock
Pellaea nana, commonly called the dwarf sickle fern, is a fern species belonging to the subfamily Cheilanthoideae of the family Pteridaceae. It is native to eastern Australia, including Lord Howe Island, where it grows in rainforest or moist eucalyptus forest, most often on rocks, cliffs, and large boulders. The type specimen for this species was collected by Allan Cunningham at the Brisbane River. Within Australia, Pellaea nana is classified as rare in the state of Victoria. The specific epithet nana comes from the Latin word nanus, which means dwarf. The fronds of Pellaea nana are typically 20 to 50 cm long. Each frond bears between 25 and 65 pinnae (leaflets); these leaflets have a short stalk or no stalk, and range in shape from oblong to narrow-oblong. Each pinna measures 25 mm long and 2.5 to 7 cm wide. The fronds are dark green on their upper surface, and paler on the underside. The sori of this species are around 1 mm wide.
