Stellenbosch University Botanical Garden, South Africa

Common name: cockscomb fern, curly grass-fern, toothbrush fern

Family: Schizaeaceae (Curly-grass)

Distribution: Northeastern South Africa

Habitat: Fynbos

IUCN Red list: Not evaluated

National red list: Least Concern

Life form: Herbaceous perennial

Comments: One of the most unusual ferns in South Africa if not the world. Indeed, it looks more like a strange grass. The segments of the fertile fronds are arranged into a comb-like structure (pectinate means “like a comb”). The top of the fertile frond of Schizaea pectinata is bent over and the segments all point upwards, like a row of toothbrush bristles. It is also reminiscent of a cocks-comb, which provides the species with another common name: cockscomb fern.