HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''Cheilanthes'', commonly known as lip ferns, is a genus of about 180 species of rock-dwelling ferns with a
cosmopolitan distribution In biogeography, cosmopolitan distribution is the term for the range of a taxon that extends across all or most of the world in appropriate habitats. Such a taxon, usually a species, is said to exhibit cosmopolitanism or cosmopolitism. The ext ...
in warm, dry, rocky regions, often growing in small crevices high up on cliffs. Most are small, sturdy and evergreen. The leaves, often densely covered in trichomes, spring directly from the rootstocks. Many of them are desert ferns, curling up during dry times and reviving with the coming of moisture. At the ends of veins
sporangia A sporangium (; from Late Latin, ) is an enclosure in which spores are formed. It can be composed of a single cell or can be multicellular. Virtually all plants, fungi, and many other lineages form sporangia at some point in their life cy ...
, or spore-bearing structures, are protected by leaf margins, which curl over them.


Taxonomy

The genus name is derived from the Greek words χεῖλος (''cheilos''), meaning "lip," and ἄνθος (''anthos''), meaning "flower." ''Cheilanthes'' as traditionally circumscribed is now known to be highly paraphyletic, comprising at least four generically separate groups. The type species, '' C. micropteris'', is most closely allied to the genera ''
Aleuritopteris ''Aleuritopteris'' is a genus of ferns in the Cheilanthoideae subfamily of the Pteridaceae. As with some other genera of the Cheilanthoideae, molecular phylogenetic studies have suggested that it is not monophyletic, and so may need to be circ ...
'' and '' Sinopteris'' (Schuettpelz ''et al.''). In the early 21st century, many species, principally from the New World, were moved into the new genus '' Gaga'' and the revived genus ''
Myriopteris ''Myriopteris'', commonly known as the lip ferns, is a genus of cheilanthoid ferns. Like other cheilanthoids, they are ferns of dry habitats, reproducing both sexually and apogamously. Many species have leaves divided into a large number of small ...
''. Further work remains to be done to render ''Cheilanthes'' monophyletic. Members of many other
cheilanthoid Cheilanthoideae is one of the five subfamilies of the fern family Pteridaceae. The subfamily is thought to be monophyletic, but some of the genera into which it has been divided are not, and the taxonomic status of many of its genera and species ...
genera have at times been given names in the genus.


Species

The
circumscription Circumscription may refer to: *Circumscribed circle *Circumscription (logic) *Circumscription (taxonomy) * Circumscription theory, a theory about the origins of the political state in the history of human evolution proposed by the American anthrop ...
of the genus was uncertain . The ''Checklist of Ferns and Lycophytes of the World'' lists species in several distinct groups. ''Cheilanthes''
sensu stricto ''Sensu'' is a Latin word meaning "in the sense of". It is used in a number of fields including biology, geology, linguistics, semiotics, and law. Commonly it refers to how strictly or loosely an expression is used in describing any particular co ...
contains about 20 species from North and tropical Central and South America: *'' Cheilanthes arequipensis'' (Maxon) R.M.Tryon & A.F.Tryon *'' Cheilanthes fractifera'' Tryon *''
Cheilanthes glutinosa ''Cheilanthes'', commonly known as lip ferns, is a genus of about 180 species of rock-dwelling ferns with a cosmopolitan distribution in warm, dry, rocky regions, often growing in small crevices high up on cliffs. Most are small, sturdy and eve ...
'' M.Kessler & A.R.Sm. *'' Cheilanthes incarum'' Maxon *'' Cheilanthes incisa'' Kunze ex Mett. *'' Cheilanthes juergensii'' Rosenst. *'' Cheilanthes laciniata'' Sodiro *'' Cheilanthes leonardii'' Maxon *'' Cheilanthes leucopoda'' Link *'' Cheilanthes lonchophylla'' (R.M.Tryon) R.M.Tryon & A.F.Tryon *'' Cheilanthes macleanii'' (J.Sm.) Hook. *'' Cheilanthes mathewsii'' Kunze *'' Cheilanthes micropteris'' Sw. *''
Cheilanthes pantanalensis ''Cheilanthes'', commonly known as lip ferns, is a genus of about 180 species of rock-dwelling ferns with a cosmopolitan distribution in warm, dry, rocky regions, often growing in small crevices high up on cliffs. Most are small, sturdy and eve ...
'' E.L.M.Assis, Ponce & Labiak *''
Cheilanthes peruviana ''Cheilanthes'', commonly known as lip ferns, is a genus of about 180 species of rock-dwelling ferns with a cosmopolitan distribution in warm, dry, rocky regions, often growing in small crevices high up on cliffs. Most are small, sturdy and eve ...
'' (Desv.) Moore *''
Cheilanthes poeppigiana ''Cheilanthes'', commonly known as lip ferns, is a genus of about 180 species of rock-dwelling ferns with a cosmopolitan distribution in warm, dry, rocky regions, often growing in small crevices high up on cliffs. Most are small, sturdy and eve ...
'' Mett. ex Kuhn *''
Cheilanthes rufopunctata ''Cheilanthes'', commonly known as lip ferns, is a genus of about 180 species of rock-dwelling ferns with a cosmopolitan distribution in warm, dry, rocky regions, often growing in small crevices high up on cliffs. Most are small, sturdy and ever ...
'' Rosenst. *'' Cheilanthes sarmientoi'' Ponce *'' Cheilanthes spiculata'' Mickel *'' Cheilanthes squamosa'' Gill. ex Hook. & Grev. *'' Cheilanthes volcanensis'' de la Sota ''Cheilanthes'' sensu lato contains about 50 species that
molecular phylogenetic Molecular phylogenetics () is the branch of phylogeny that analyzes genetic, hereditary molecular differences, predominantly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. From these analyses, it is possible to ...
studies suggest do not form a clade with the core ''Cheilanthes'' species, falling into separate clades, but for which no placement outside ''Cheilanthes'' was available : *'' Cheilanthes adiantoides'' T.C.Chambers & P.A.Farrant *'' Cheilanthes angustifrondosa'' Alston *'' Cheilanthes austrotenuifolia'' H.M.Quirk & T.C.Chambers *'' Cheilanthes bergiana'' Schltdl. *'' Cheilanthes boivinii'' Mett. ex Kuhn *'' Cheilanthes bolborrhiza'' Mickel & Beitel *'' Cheilanthes bonapartei'' J.P.Roux *'' Cheilanthes botswanae'' Schelpe & N.C.Anthony *'' Cheilanthes brownii'' (Desv.) Domin *'' Cheilanthes buchananii'' (Baker) Domin *'' Cheilanthes capensis'' (Thunb.) Sw. *'' Cheilanthes caudata'' R.Br. *'' Cheilanthes ceterachoides'' A.W.Klopper & Klopper *''
Cheilanthes contracta ''Cheilanthes'', commonly known as lip ferns, is a genus of about 180 species of rock-dwelling ferns with a cosmopolitan distribution in warm, dry, rocky regions, often growing in small crevices high up on cliffs. Most are small, sturdy and eve ...
'' Kunze *'' Cheilanthes deboeri'' Verdc. *'' Cheilanthes deltoidea'' Kunze *'' Cheilanthes depauperata'' Baker *'' Cheilanthes dinteri'' Brause *'' Cheilanthes distans'' (R.Br.) Mett. *'' Cheilanthes dolomiticola'' (Schelpe) Schelpe & N.C.Anthony *'' Cheilanthes eckloniana'' (Kunze) Mett. *'' Cheilanthes erythraea'' Pic. Serm. *'' Cheilanthes fragillima'' F.Muell. *'' Cheilanthes hastata'' (L. fil.) Kunze *'' Cheilanthes hirta'' Sw. *'' Cheilanthes inaequalis'' (Kunze) Mett. *'' Cheilanthes induta'' Kunze *'' Cheilanthes involuta'' (Sw.) Schelpe & N.C.Anthony *'' Cheilanthes kunzei'' Mett. *'' Cheilanthes lasiophylla'' Pic. Serm. *'' Cheilanthes leachii'' (Schelpe) Schelpe *'' Cheilanthes lozanoi'' (Maxon) R.M.Tryon & A.F.Tryon *'' Cheilanthes madagascariensis'' Baker *'' Cheilanthes marlothii'' (Hieron.) Schelpe *'' Cheilanthes muelleri'' (Hook.) comb. ined. *'' Cheilanthes multifida'' (Sw.) Sw. *'' Cheilanthes namaquensis'' (Baker) Schelpe & N.C.Anthony *'' Cheilanthes nielsii'' W.Jacobsen *'' Cheilanthes nitida'' (R.Br.) P.S.Green *'' Cheilanthes parviloba'' (Sw.) Sw. *'' Cheilanthes pentagona'' Schelpe & N.C.Anthony *'' Cheilanthes perlanata'' (Pic. Serm.) Kornas *'' Cheilanthes perrieri'' J.P.Roux *'' Cheilanthes praetermissa'' D.L.Jones *'' Cheilanthes prenticei'' Luerss. *'' Cheilanthes pumilio'' (R.Br.) F.Muell. *'' Cheilanthes quadripinnata'' (Forsk.) Kuhn *'' Cheilanthes reynoldsii'' (F.Muell.) comb. ined. *'' Cheilanthes robusta'' (Kunze) Tryon *''
Cheilanthes sieberi ''Cheilanthes sieberi'' is a small fern growing in many parts of Australia, New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and t ...
'' Kunze *'' Cheilanthes similis'' Ballard *'' Cheilanthes skinneri'' (Hook.) R.M.Tryon & A.F.Tryon


References


Flora Europaea: ''Cheilanthes''Flora of North America: ''Cheilanthes''

lip fern
" Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 30 Nov 2007. {{Taxonbar, from=Q2628740 Fern genera Taxa named by Olof Swartz