Doodia aspera

also known as Blechnum neohollandicum

Other links:

Common name: Prickly rasp fern

Conservation status: unkown

Etymology:

From Latin blachnon, a fern, from Greek blēchnon
The genus is named for Samuel Doody, curator of the Chelsea Physic Garden
The species name aspera is the feminine form of the Latin adjective asper "rough", referring to the rachis and stipe

Spores:

Leaves:

These fronds are usually 20 to 45 cm long
The frond segments have dentate (toothed) margins
They measure around 6 cm long, and in a zig-zag pattern up the stem
Both the fronds and stipe are covered in small bumps, giving them a rough texture
When young, the fronds are a pinkish colour which changes to green with maturity

Stem & branches:

Roots:

Habit:

Habitat:

It is found in rainforest and dry open forest
Often seen in rainforest margins or eucalyptus forest
It grows on sandstone and igneous (granite and basalt) substrates, in sand- or gravelly soils
In tall open forest in the Sydney region, it is an understory ground cover in damp areas underneath such trees as Sydney blue gum (Eucalyptus saligna), mountain gum (E. deanei), river peppermint (E. elata) and forest red gum (E. tereticornis)

Distribution:

Additional notes:

Taxonomy
- It was one of the many species first described by the botanist Robert Brown in his 1810 work Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen, and it still bears its original name
Ecology
- Tolerant of short dry periods, it can be found in full sun as well as shade
- The spores are dispersed by wind
Cultivation
- Readily adaptable to cultivation, it grows in shade or sun with adequate moisture on acidic soils with some organic content
- Drainage needs to be sufficient to prevent waterlogging
- The pinkish to reddish new growth is an attractive feature
- The fern is readily propagated by collecting and germinating the spores, or dividing the rhizomes

Source: (2023)