Tags: Fern.
Polystichum whiteleggei is a fern in the Dryopteridaceae family. A former common name was Heavy Fern alluding to the weight of one of the large thick textured fronds when fully developed. The specific epithet honours Thomas Whitelegge (1850–1927) of the Australian Museum who collected zoological specimens on Lord Howe Island in 1887 who first noticed the fern’s distinctiveness.