''Lygodium'' (climbing fern) is a genus of about 40 species of

fern A fern (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta ) is a member of a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. The polypodiophytes include all living pteridophytes exce ...

s, native to tropical regions across the world, with a few temperate species in eastern

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...

and eastern North America. It is the sole genus in the family Lygodiaceae in the

Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group The Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group, or PPG, is an informal international group of systematic botanists who collaborate to establish a consensus on the classification of pteridophytes ( lycophytes and ferns) that reflects knowledge about plant relatio ...

classification of 2016 (PPG I). Alternatively, the genus may be placed as the only genus in the subfamily Lygodioideae of a more broadly defined family Schizaeaceae, the family placement used in '' Plants of the World Online'' .

Description

''Lygodium'' are unusual in that the rachis, or midrib, of the

frond A frond is a large, divided leaf. In both common usage and botanical nomenclature, the leaves of ferns are referred to as fronds and some botanists restrict the term to this group. Other botanists allow the term frond to also apply to the lar ...

is thin, flexible, and long, the frond unrolling with indeterminate growth and the rachis twining around supports, so that each frond forms a distinct

vine A vine (Latin ''vīnea'' "grapevine", "vineyard", from ''vīnum'' "wine") is any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent (that is, climbing) stems, lianas or runners. The word ''vine'' can also refer to such stems or runners themsel ...

. The fronds may be from long, depending on the species.

Uses

''Lygodium'' species, known as ''nito'', are used as a source of fibers in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. The fibers are used as material for weaving, most notably of traditional

salakot Salakót is a traditional lightweight headgear from the Philippines that is commonly used during pre-colonial era up to the present day, used for protection against the sun and rain. Every ethnolinguistic group in the archipelago has their own ...

headgear.

As invasive species

Some ''Lygodium'' species are now considered very problematic invasive weeds in the southeastern United States. Populations of ''Lygodium'' have increased more than 12-fold over the past decade, as noted by Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. Japanese climbing fern ('' Lygodium japonicum'') was added to the Florida Noxious Weed List in 1999. It is also a major problem in pine plantations, causing contamination and harvesting problems for the pine straw industry. Old World climbing fern ('' Lygodium microphyllum'') infests cypress swamps and other hydric sites, forming a monoculture. This massive infestation displaces all native flora and fauna, completely changing the ecosystem of the area. Plants in this genus have basal chromosome counts of ''n=28, 29, 30''.

Selected species

*'' Lygodium articulatum'' – New Zealand (North Island). *'' Lygodium circinatum'' – Tropical Asia and Australasia. *'' Lygodium conforme'' – China. *'' Lygodium cubense'' – Cuba, Hispaniola. *'' Lygodium digitatum'' – China. *'' Lygodium flexuosum'' – Southern China south to northern Australasia, Kerala(South India). *'' Lygodium japonicum'' – Japanese climbing fern. Eastern Asia south to northern Australia. *'' Lygodium microphyllum'' ( Cav.) R. Br. – Old World climbing fern. Africa, south Asia and Australia. *'' Lygodium microstachyum'' – China. *'' Lygodium palmatum'' ( Bernh.) Swartz – American climbing fern. Eastern United States (rare, confined to acid soils). *'' Lygodium polystachyum'' – China. *'' Lygodium reticulatum'' – Australia, Polynesia. *'' Lygodium salicifolium'' – Southern China south to northern Australasia. *'' Lygodium subareolatum'' – China. *'' Lygodium trifurcatum'' – Tropical southeast Asia south to northern Australasia. *'' Lygodium volubile'' – Northern South America, Central America, Caribbean. *'' Lygodium versteeghii'' – Tropical southeast Asia south to northern Australasia. *'' Lygodium yunnanense'' – Southern China.

References

External links

Flora of North America: ''Lygodium''
* *C.Michael Hogan. 2010
''Fern''. Encyclopedia of Earth. eds. Saikat Basu and C.Cleveland. National Council for Science and the Environment
Washington DC.
Flora of China: ''Lygodium'' species list
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2491168 Fern genera Taxa named by Olof Swartz