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Tectaria vasta (Family: Dryopteridaceae)  
Holttum's comparative description between T. vasta and T. semipinnata
'... In Malaya T. vasta has been confused with T. maingayi (synonym: T. semipinnata), which has a similar habit, but does not grow so large, has exindusiate sori which are often confluent, and has no wing on the stipes of the largest fronds. Sterile specimens are sometimes impossible to determine. Very young plants also may be taken for T. singaporeana...'

'... Fronds
(of T. maingayi; syn. T. semipinnata) either identical in shape with T. vasta (though usually smaller), or with wing on the stipe shortened, or with the rachis only winged, or with a narrowing wing descending only part-way down the rachis, sometimes uniting only the uppermost pair of pinnae with the apical lamina; venation as in T. vasta, but the cross-
veins less regular and often more curved away from the midrib; sori exindusiate, either small and round or more usually extending along the veins and confluent, tending especially to form long sori parallel with the main veins, and sometimes also parallel to the midrib of the pinna...'

(Photo above: Min's toy microscope - a gift from Margie Hall - came in handy for poor botanist-dad... ha ha!)
  ©Joseph Lai 2003