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Australian ferns & fern allies |
 HypoderriaceaeModerate to large terrestrial ferns, rhizome mostly erect, less often creeping, mostly radial, dictyostelic, the apex bearing non-clathrate non-peltate scales, often with marginal teeth. Fronds long-stipitate, the stipes not articulate to the rhizome, with 3 or more vascular strands arranged in a simple ring, or in a more complex arrangement, less often with 2 strands not uniting upwards, lamina pinnate to pinnately decompound, less often simple, axes generally not grooved or if grooved the grooves not open to admit those of a higher or lower order, pinnate sometimes jointed to the rachis, veins free, mostly forked, or anastomosing with or without free include veinlets; sometimes marked dimorphism between sterile and fertile fronds. Sori mostly remote from the margin, dorsal or terminal on the veins, small, round or oblong, mostly indusiate, the indusium peltate or reniform, sometimes sori acrostichoid, the sporangia completely covering the lower surface of contracted fertile leaflets; annulus longitudinal, interrupted; spores bilateral, monolete, usually with a variously ornamented perispore. DistributionA widespread family of up to 27 genera in the warmer parts of the globe. In Papuasia there are 12 genera with c. 60 species. LiteratureCopeland, E.B. 1949. Aspidiaceae of New Guinea. Philip. J. Sci. 78: 389 - 475. Holttum, R.E. 1951. The fern genus Pleocnemia Presl. Reinwardtia 1: 171 - 189. Holttum, R.E. 1951. The fern genus Arcypteris Underwood (Dictyopteris Presl sensu Fee. Reinwardtia 1: 191 - 196. Holttum, R.E. 1974. The fern genus Pleocnemia. Kew Bull. 29: 341 - 357. Holttum, R.E. 1975. The genus Heterogonium Presl. Kalikasan 4: 205 - 231. Holttum, R.E. 1981. The fern genus Tectaria Cav. in Malaya. Gard. Bull. Sing. 34: 132 - 147. Holttum, R.E. 1984. Studies in the fern genera allied to Tectaria. III. Aenigmopteris and Ataxipteris, two new genera allied to Tectaria Cav., with comments on Psomiocarpa Presl. Blumea 30: 1 - 11. Holttum, R.E. 1985. Studies in the fern genera allied to Tectaria Cav. IV. The genus Ctenitis in Asia, Malesia and the Western Pacific. Blumea 31: 1- 38. Holttum, R.E. & Edwards, P.J. (in press. Dryopsis, a new genus of ferns. Kew Bull. Tindale, M.D. 1965. A monograph of the genus Lastreopsis Ching. Contrib. N.S.W. Nat. Herb. 3: 249 - 339. Genera
NoteSome of the genera in this family are not readily separated. (Holttum 1974) chose to combine Arcypteris under Pleocnemia. Tectaria and Ctenitis are fairly heterogeneous and may include other genera or parts of other genera. This problem is being resolved by Holttum who has recently described Aenigmopteris and proposed a new genus Dryopsis (Holttum 1984 and in press). The genus Hemigramma has been united with Tectaria (Price 1974) based on Philippine species which lack indusia; analagous situations of combining other tectarioid genera with acrostichoid or linear marginal sori with Tectaria exist in Ceylon and South America. However, the Papuasian species are indusiate; if retained separate from Hemigramma and Tectaria they will require a new generic name. Holttum (pers. comm.) is proposing the new genus Chlamydogramme for the Papuasian species that have been included in Hemmigramma. Hypodematium has been included here by some authors, but on balance of characters it seems better placed in Athyriaceae. Dryopteridaceae is often united with Hypoderriaceae and sometimes Lomariopsidaceae, Thelypteridaceae and Athyriaceae, in a large and complex family, the Aspidiaceae. Australian National Herbarium page Updated November 1999 by Jim Croft (jrc@anbg.gov.au)  |
