Elaphoglossum hybridum (Bory) Brack.

hybridum: of hybrid origin, reference unclear.

Rhizome shortly creeping, often appearing to be erect; rhizome scales blackish brown, lanceolate, tapering to a point, margins entire, up to 5 mm long. Fronds tufted, firmly herbaceous, simple, brittle, deep green, arching, strongly dimorphous. Sterile frond: stipe up to 20 cm long, straminous to pale brown, with many black, squarrose deciduous scales; lamina 14-22 × 2.5-5.5 cm, narrowly oblong to narrowly elliptic in outline, apex pointed, base wedge-shaped, margin and midrib set with small, deciduous, linear, black scales. Fertile frond: lamina much smaller than sterile lamina, narrowly oblong to narrowly ovate, veins parallel and visible; sporangia covering the whole undersurface of the lamina.

Possibly of circumpolar origin, occuring on the subantartic islands Gough & Tristan da Cunha, in tropical Africa on the highest mountain tops, moving into lower altitudes (1300-2250 m) in Malawi, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and South Africa (1500-3000m)