Description
Genus Pteridium
Plants
terrestrial
, often forming colonies or thickets. Stems subterranean
, slender, long-creeping; hairs
pale
to dark, jointed
; scales
absent; true vessels
present (absent in other Dennstaedtiaceae
genera in the flora
). Leaves widely spaced, broadly deltate, 0.5--4.5 m.
Petiole
glabrous
to short-hairy, without prickles, with stem buds near base
, vascular bundles
numerous
, U- or O-shaped in cross
section
. Blade
2--4-pinnate, rachis and costae grooved
adaxially; rachis without prickles; nectaries at base of proximal
and sometimes distal pinnae. Segments pinnately divided
, ultimate
segments ovate
to oblong
to linear
, base extending proximally on costae (decurrent) or proximally (surcurrent
), margins
entire
. Veins free
or joined at margin by commissural
vein
beneath
sori, pinnately 2--3-forked. Sori ± continuous, covered by recurved, outer false indusium and obscure
, extrorse
, inner true indusium. Spores tetrahedral-globose, trilete, very finely granulate
. x
= 26.
Species 1 (1 species, 4 vari: almost worldwide.Carol A. Jacobs, James H. Peck "Pteridium". in Flora of North America Vol. 2. Oxford University Press. Online at EFloras.org.
Taxonomy
- Domain:
Eukaryota
(
)
- Whittaker & Margulis,1978
- Kingdom:
Plantae
()
- Haeckel, 1866
- Plants
- Subkingdom:
Biliphyta
()
- Cavalier-Smith, 1981
- Phylum:
Rhodophyta
()
- Wettstein, 1922
- Red Algae
- Subphylum:
Macrorhodophytina
()
- Cavalier-Smith, 1998
- Class:
Florideophyceae
()
- Order:
Ceramiales
()
- Family:
Delesseriaceae
()
- Genus:
Pteridium
()
- Gleditsch ex Scopoli, Fl. Carniol. 169. 1760.
- [Bracken ferns [Greek pteridion, a small fern]
- Specific epithet:
aquilinium
- (L.) Kuhn
- Botanical name: - Pteridium aquilinium (L.) Kuhn
- Specific epithet:
aquilinium
- (L.) Kuhn
- Genus:
Pteridium
(
- Family:
Delesseriaceae
(
- Order:
Ceramiales
(
- Class:
Florideophyceae
(
- Subphylum:
Macrorhodophytina
(
- Phylum:
Rhodophyta
(
- Subkingdom:
Biliphyta
(
- Kingdom:
Plantae
(
Similar Species
Members of the genus Pteridium
There are approximately 80 species in this genus:
P. angustissimum · P. aquilijnum · P. aquilimum · P. aquilinium · P. aquilinum (Bracken) · P. aquilinum aquilinum · P. aquilinum atlanticum · P. aquilinum caudata · P. aquilinum caudatum · P. aquilinum decompositum (Bracken) · P. aquilinum esculentum · P. aquilinum f. arachnoidea · P. aquilinum f. decipiens · P. aquilinum f. pumila · P. aquilinum latiusculum · P. aquilinum Percristatum Group · P. aquilinum pseudocaudatum · P. aquilinum subsp. aquilinum · P. aquilinum subsp. atlanticum · P. aquilinum subsp. capense · P. aquilinum subsp. caudata · P. aquilinum subsp. centrali-africanum · P. aquilinum subsp. decompositum · P. aquilinum subsp. esculentum · P. aquilinum subsp. fulvum · P. aquilinum subsp. herediae · P. aquilinum subsp. japonicum · P. aquilinum subsp. latiusculum · P. aquilinum subsp. pinetorum · P. aquilinum subsp. pseudocaudatum · P. aquilinum subsp. typicum · P. aquilinum subsp. wightianum · P. aquilinum typicum · P. aquilinum var. champlainense (Champlain's Brackenfern) · P. aquilinum var. decompositum · P. aquilinum var. esculentum · P. aquilinum var. feei · P. aquilinum var. latiusculum (Western Brackenfern) · P. aquilinum var. pseudocaudatum (Western Brackenfern) · P. aquilinum var. pubescens (Bracken) · P. aquilinum var. wightianum · P. aquilinum var. yarrabense · P. aquilium · P. aquillinum · P. arachnoideum (Tropical Brackenfern) · P. atrum · P. baerii · P. bertrandii · P. capense · P. caudatum (Southern Brackenfern) · P. caudatum subsp. arachnoideum · P. caudatum subsp. yarrabense · P. centrali-africanum · P. corymbosa · P. decompositum · P. esculentum (Austral Bracken) · P. falcatum · P. feei · P. heredia · P. herediae · P. lanuginosum · P. latiusculum f. berdii · P. latiusculum subsp. pinetorum · P. latiusculum var. latiusculum · P. latiusculum var. verum · P. lineare · P. oeningense · P. pinetorum · P. pinetorum osmundaceum · P. pinetorum subsp. osmundaceum · P. proliferum · P. psittacinum · P. revolutum · P. rostratum · P. scalabazensis · P. semihastatum · P. spinulosum · P. tauricum · P. yarrabense · P. yunnanense
Bibliography
- Page, C. N. 1976. The taxonomy and phytogeography of bracken---A review. J. Linn. Soc., Bot. 73: 1--34.
- Perring, F. H. and B. G. Gardener, eds. 1976. The biology of bracken. [Symposium.] J. Linn. Soc., Bot. 73(1--3): i--vi, 1--302.
- Tryon, R. M. 1941. A revision of the genus Pteridium. Rhodora 43: 1--31, 37--67.
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Notes
Identifiers
- Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 1101418
