Davallia canariensis (L.) Sm.
Diagnostic description:
A perennial, with a very scaly, thick, creeping rhizome. Leaves coriaceous, dark green, 15 to 40 cm long, broadly deltoid in outline, bi- to tri-pinnate. Petiole about as long as the leaf, channelled, articulated at the base. Sori near the tips of the pinnules.
Distribution:
Local: Very rare in Gibraltar. Growing on Phoenix canariensis at the Alameda Gardens. Frequently epiphytic on various trees, but also grows from rock crevices.
Global: A native of the Canary Islands it is also found in Madeira, Morocco and western Iberian peninsula.
Ecology:
Spores ripen between September, October, November, December, January, February, March, April and May.