Interesting Facts
Common Names
Common Names in English:
Creeping Maiden Fern, Creeping Star-Hair Fern
Description
Family Thelypteridaceae
Plants
terrestrial
or on rock [epiphytic]. Stems creeping
to erect
, scaly
at apex. Leaves monomorphic
or somewhat dimorphic
[dimorphic]. Petiole
in cross
section
with 2 crescent-shaped vascular bundles
at base
. Blade
pinnate to pinnate-pinnatifid, rarely more than 2-pinnate [simple
]; rachis grooved
adaxially or not, grooves
not continuous with grooves of next order
. Veins free
or anastomosing, running
to margin
, areoles with or without included
free veinlets. Indument
of transparent, needlelike, hooked
, septate
, or stellate
hairs
, or rarely hairs lacking. Sori inframedial
to supramedial, occasionally nearly marginal
, round
or oblong
, rarely elongate
along veins; indusia reniform
or sometimes absent. Spores bilateral
, monolete [rarely globose-tetrahedral and trilete], usually with a prominent
, crested
, echinate
, or reticulate
perispore
. Gametophytes green, cordate, usually hairy
or glandular
; antheridia 3-celled.
Genera 1 to ca.
30, depending on circumscription, species ca. 900 (as circumscribed here, 3 genera and 25 species in the flora
) : mostly tropical
.
Members
of Thelypteridaceae have historically been associated with Dryopteridaceae (in particular, Dryopteris ) but in fact have no close relationship
with that family
. Thelypteris and allies differ from Dryopteris and allies by their indument of transparent needlelike hairs (versus needlelike hairs absent in Dryopteridaceae) ; general absence of blade scales (versus blade scales often present) ; petiole vasculature in cross section with two crescent-shaped bundles (versus many round bundles arranged in an arc, Athyrium and allies exceptional) ; generally 1-pinnate to pinnate-pinnatifid blades (versus often more divided
) ; veins usually not forking in the ultimate
segments (versus often forking) ; adaxial
grooves discontinuous from rachis to costae, or grooves lacking (versus grooves often continuous) ; and chromosome base numbers
from 27--36 (versus generally 40, 41) .[1]
Genus Thelypteris
Stems long-creeping to ascending
to erect
, 1.5--12 mm or more diam. Blades
1-pinnate to pinnate-pinnatifid, rarely 2-pinnate, proximal
pinnae reduced or not, apex commonly gradually reduced, infrequently abruptly reduced and pinnalike; pinnae entire to deeply pinnatifid
, sessile or short-stalked; costae grooved
adaxially; buds absent or uncommonly present in axils of pinnae; veins free
to regularly anastomosing, commonly simple
(1-forked in a few species, e.g.
, Thelypteris palustris ) and reaching margin
; indument
various abaxially, often of simple or branched hairs
on blades, rachises and costae with or usually without scales
. Sori round
, oblong
, or elongate
along veins, commonly medial
to supramedial; indusia round-reniform, large (ca.
1 mm diam.) and persistent
or sometimes small (less than 0.3 mm diam.), occasionally ephemeral
, sometimes absent; sporangial
capsules glabrous
or occasionally hairy
. x
= 27, 29, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36.
Species ca. 875: nearly worldwide.
In the broadest sense, Thelypteris is a very large and complex
genus of about 900 species and constitutes the only genus in the family
. It has been divided
into ca. 30 genera by R. E. Holttum (1971, 1982) ; these are treated as subgenera
and/or sections
by various workers. In the treatment adopted here, the genus is broadly circumscribed but excludes the small segregate
genera Phegopteris and Macrothelypteris, two of the most distinctive elements
. The subgroups of Thelypteris (treated as genera by some workers) are indicated in the key
to species and by their subgeneric names
preceding the treatment of species groups. The name
to be used if a narrowly circumscribed segregate genus is adopted is included
in the synonymy
.[2]
Physical Description
Species Thelypteris reptans
Stems creeping to suberect, 2--3 mm diam. Leaves somewhat dimorphic , evergreen , laxly arching or prostrate , sterile leaves often rooting at attenuate apices or along rachises, mostly (10--) 15--55 cm, fertile leaves more erect and with longer petioles , not rooting, with more contracted pinnules . Petiole green, 1--25 cm × 0.5--1 mm, at base sparsely set with brown, lanceolate, stellate-hairy scales . Blade usually 10--30 cm, pinnate in proximal half only or throughout, narrowed distally to pinnatifid apex. Pinnae entire to crenate to shallowly lobed ca. 1/3 of width , 1--2.5(--5) × 0.3--1(--1.5) cm, sometimes subcordate at base; proximal pairs from adjacent segments usually united with excurrent vein or veins free . Indument abaxially of stellate , forked , and needlelike hairs on rachises, costae, veins, and blade tissue; blade tissue adaxially also with stellate hairs. Sori round , medial to supramedial; indusia minute or lacking; sporangia with stellate hairs. 2 n = 144. [source]
Habit: Forb/herb
Habitat
Limestone rocks and grottoes, damp woods ; 0--50 m [3].
Typically found at an altitude of 0 to 864 meters (0 to 2,835 feet).[4]
Biology
Reproduction
Duration: Perennial
Taxonomy
- Domain:
Eukaryota
(
)
- Whittaker & Margulis,1978
- eukaryotes
- Kingdom:
Plantae
()
- Haeckel, 1866
- Plants
- Subkingdom:
Viridaeplantae
()
- Cavalier-Smith, 1981
- Phylum:
Tracheophyta
()
- Sinnott, 1935 ex Cavalier-Smith, 1998
- Vascular Plants
- Subphylum:
Euphyllophytina
()
- Infraphylum:
Moniliformopses
()
- Kenrick & Crane, 1997, Nom. Nud.
- Class:
Polypodiopsida
()
- Cronquist et al.
- Order:
Polypodiales
()
- Link
- Family:
Thelypteridaceae
()
- Ching ex Pichi-Serm.
- Marsh Fern Family
- Genus:
Thelypteris
()
- Schmidel, 1763, nom. cons.
- Female fern [Greek thelys, female, and pteris, fern]
- Specific epithet:
reptans
- (J.F. Gmel.) Morton
- Botanical name: - Thelypteris reptans (J.F. Gmel.) Morton
- Specific epithet:
reptans
- (J.F. Gmel.) Morton
- Genus:
Thelypteris
(
- Family:
Thelypteridaceae
(
- Order:
Polypodiales
(
- Class:
Polypodiopsida
(
- Infraphylum:
Moniliformopses
(
- Subphylum:
Euphyllophytina
(
- Phylum:
Tracheophyta
(
- Subkingdom:
Viridaeplantae
(
- Kingdom:
Plantae
(
Synonyms
Dryopteris reptans (J. F. Gmelin) C. Christensen • Goniopteris reptans (J. F. Gmelin) C. Presl • Polypodium reptans J. F. Gmelin • Syst. Nat. 2: 1309. 1791
Notes
Name
Status: Accepted Name
.
Last scrutiny: 15-Mar-2000
Similar Species
Members of the genus Thelypteris
ZipcodeZoo has pages for 86 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus:
T. abdita (Rio Abajo Maiden Fern) · T. abrupta (Fairybit Maiden Fern) · T. angustifolia (Broadleaf Maiden Fern) · T. augescens (Abrupt-Tip Maiden Fern) · T. balbisii (Balbis' Maiden Fern) · T. boydiae (Boyd's Maiden Fern) · T. brittonae (Britton's Maiden Fern) · T. cheilanthoides (Lip Maiden Fern) · T. cordata (Heartleaf Maiden Fern) · T. cordata var. cordata (Heartleaf Maiden Fern) · T. cordata var. imitata (Heartleaf Maiden Fern) · T. cyatheoides (Lacy Maiden Fern) · T. decursive-pinnata (Clumping Wood Fern) · T. decussata (Glandular Maiden Fern) · T. deltoidea (Deltoid Maiden Fern) · T. dentata (Downy Maiden Fern) · T. exindusiata (Makaleha Maiden Fern) · T. forsteri (Forster's Maiden Fern) · T. germaniana (German's Maiden Fern) · T. globulifera (Globular Maiden Fern) · T. grandis (Stately Maiden Fern) · T. guadalupensis (Guadeloupe Maiden Fern) · T. hastata (Arrowhead Maiden Fern) · T. hastata var. hastata (Arrowhead Maiden Fern) · T. hastata var. heterodoxa (Arrowhead Maiden Fern) · T. hildae (Limestone Maiden Fern) · T. hispidula (Roughhairy Maiden Fern) · T. hispidula var. hispidula (Roughhairy Maiden Fern) · T. hispidula var. inconstans (Roughhairy Maiden Fern) · T. hispidula var. versicolor (Hairy Maiden Fern) · T. inabonensis (Cordillera Maiden Fern) · T. interrupta (Shiny Thelypteris) · T. invisa (Maiden Fern) · T. kunthii (Kunth's Maiden Fern) · T. leptocladia (Thicket Maiden Fern) · T. linkiana (Link's Maiden Fern) · T. namophila (Maricao Maiden Fern) · T. nephrodioides (Graygreen Maiden Fern) · T. nevadensis (Sierra Marsh Fern) · T. noveboracensis (New York Fern) · T. oligocarpa (Maiden Fern) · T. opposita (Oppositeleaf Maiden Fern) · T. opulenta (Jeweled Maiden Fern) · T. ovata (Ovate Marsh Fern) · T. ovata var. lindheimeri (Lindheimer's Marsh Fern) · T. ovata var. lindheimeri (C.Chr.) A.R.Sm. (Lindheimer's Marsh Fern) · T. ovata var. ovata (Ovate Marsh Fern) · T. ovata var. ovata R. St. John (Ovate Marsh Fern) · T. palustris (Eastern Marsh Fern) · T. palustris var. pubescens (Eastern Marsh Fern) · T. parasitica (Parasitic Maiden Fern) · T. patens (Grid-Scale Maiden Fern) · T. patens var. patens (Gridscale Maiden Fern) · T. patens var. smithiana (Smith's Maiden Fern) · T. pennata (Graceful Maiden Fern) · T. piedrensis (Cuban Maiden Fern) · T. pilosa (Hairy Maiden Fern) · T. pilosa var. alabamensis (Alabama Streak-Sorus Fern) · T. pilosa var. alabamensis Crawford (Streak-Sorus Fern) · T. pilosa var. pilosa (M.Martens & Galeotti) Crawford (Streak-Sorus Fern) · T. poiteana (Darkgreen Maiden Fern) · T. puberula (Showy Maiden Fern) · T. puberula (Baker) Morton var. puberula (Baker) Morton (Showy Maiden Fern) · T. puberula var. puberula (Showy Maiden Fern) · T. puberula var. sonorensis (Aravaipa Wood Fern) · T. quelpaertensis (Queen's-Veil Maiden Fern) · T. reptans (Creeping Maiden Fern) · T. reptans var. reptans (Creeping Maiden Fern) · T. reptans var. reptans (J.F.Gmel.) Morton (Creeping Maiden Fern) · T. reptans var. tenera (Creeping Maiden Fern) · T. resinifera (Glandular Maiden Fern) · T. reticulata (Lattice-Vein Fern) · T. retroflexa (Spleenwort Maiden Fern) · T. rheophyta (Rio Inabon Maiden Fern) · T. robertiana (Limestone Oak Fern) · T. rolandii (Roland's Maiden Fern) · T. rudis (Red Maiden Fern) · T. sancta (Caribbean Maiden Fern) · T. sclerophylla (Stiff Maiden Fern) · T. serra (Jamaican Maiden Fern) · T. serrata (Toothed Lattice-Vein Fern) · T. simulata (Bog Fern) · T. tetragona (Free-Tip Star-Hair Fern) · T. verecunda (Barrio Charcas Maiden Fern) · T. wailele (Waioli Valley Maiden Fern) · T. yaucoensis (Puerto Rico Maiden Fern)
More Info
- Search for Pictures: images.google.com
- Search for Scholarly Articles: Google Scholar
- Search using Scientific Name and Vernacular Names: All the Web | AltaVista Canada | AltaVista | Excite | Google | HotBot | Lycos
- Search using Specialized Databases: GenBank | Medline | Scirus | CISTI/CAL | Agricola Periodicals | Agricola Books
Further Reading
- Bulletin of the Natural History Museum. London: The Natural History Museum, c1993-2002. url p. 94.
- Contributions to the flora of Venezuela / [Julian A. Steyermark and collaborators]. 28 1951 Chicago, Ill.: Chicago Natural History Museum, 1951. url p. 12.
- Ferns and fern allies of Guatemala. Robert G. Stolze; the genus Elaphoglossum by: John T. Mickel; the genus Thelypteris by: Alan R. Smith. 6 1981 Chicago, Ill.: Field Museum of Natural History, 1981. url p. 504.
- Phytologia. Bronx Park, New York, H.A. Gleason and H.N. Moldenke, url p. 308, p. 370.
- Christensen, C. 1913. A monograph of the genus Dryopteris. Part I. The tropical American pinnatifid-bipinnatifid species. Kongel. Danske Vidensk. Selsk. Skr., Naturvidensk. Math. Afd., ser. 7, 10: 55--282.
- Holttum, R. E. 1981. The genus Oreopteris (Thelypteridaceae). Kew Bull. 36: 223--226.
- Holttum, R. E. 1971. Studies in the family Thelypteridaceae III. A new system of genera in the Old World. Blumea 19: 17--52.
- Holttum, R. E. 1982. Thelypteridaceae. In: C. G. G. J. van Steenis and R. E.
- Holttum, eds. 1959--1982. Flora Malesiana. Series II. Pteridophyta. Vol. 1, part 5. Iwatsuki, K. 1964. An American species of Stegnogramma. Amer. Fern J. 54: 141--153.
- Smith, A. R. 1971. Systematics of the neotropical species of Thelypteris section Cyclosorus. Univ. Calif. Publ. Bot. 59: 1--143.
- Tryon, A. F., R. M. Tryon, and F. Badré. 1980. Classification, spores, and nomenclature of the marsh fern. Rhodora 82: 461--474.
Notes
Contributors
- Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-present. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Zwaag, The Netherlands. Accessed January 10, 2012.
Data Sources
Accessed through GBIF Data Portal November 22, 2007:
- GBIF-Spain, CUBA: Herbario de la Academia de Ciencias, La Habana, Cuba: HAC-Pteridophyta
- GBIF-Spain, CUBA:Herbario del Jardín Botánico Nacional, La Habana, Cuba: HAJB-Pteridophyta
- GBIF-Spain, CUBA:Herbario del Jardín de los Helechos, Centro Oriental de Ecosistemas y Biodiversidad, Santiago de Cuba: BSC-Pteridophyta
- Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad
- , Biodiversidad de Costa Rica
- Missouri Botanical Garden, Missouri Botanical Garden
- USDA PLANTS, USDA PLANTS Database
- University of Alabama Biodiversity and Systematics, Herbarium
Identifiers
- Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 2644487
- Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: ITS-17267
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 13728388
- Globally Unique Identifier: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:17423310-1
- Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Taxonomic Serial Number (TSN): 17267
- International Plant Names Index (IPNI) ID: 17423310
- Natural Heritage Network Species Identifier: PPTHE051B0
- U.S.D.A. Plant Symbol: THRE3
- Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 65917
Footnotes
- Alan R. Smith "Thelypteridaceae". in Flora of North America Vol. 2. Oxford University Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
- Alan R. Smith "Thelypteris". in Flora of North America Vol. 2. Oxford University Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
- "Thelypteris reptans". in Flora of North America Vol. 2. Oxford University Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
- Mean = 121.550 meters (398.786 feet), Standard Deviation = 617.700 based on 218 observations. Altitude information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]
