''Bommeria'' is a genus of small pteridaceous rock
fern
The ferns (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta) are a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. They differ from mosses by being vascular, i.e., having specialized tissue ...
s, native to the
New World
The term "New World" is used to describe the majority of lands of Earth's Western Hemisphere, particularly the Americas, and sometimes Oceania."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: ...
. Genetic analysis has shown it to be a stem offshoot clade of all the cheilanthoid ferns (in family
Pteridaceae
Pteridaceae is a family of ferns in the order Polypodiales, including some 1150 known species in ca 45 genera (depending on taxonomic opinions), divided over five subfamilies. The family includes four groups of genera that are sometimes recogni ...
),
[ except for '']Doryopteris
''Doryopteris'' is a genus of ferns in the subfamily Cheilanthoideae of the family Pteridaceae.
Species
The Circumscription (taxonomy), circumscription of the genus was uncertain . The ''Checklist of Ferns and Lycophytes of the World'' lists spe ...
'', which is an even more basal ("primitive") stem offshoot. for years, it was assumed that this genus was closely allied with ''Hemionitis
''Hemionitis'' is a genus of ferns in the subfamily Cheilanthoideae of the family Pteridaceae. Its circumscription varies greatly in different systems of fern classification. In the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I), it ...
'', but genetic analysis has shown that genus to be a more advanced genus evolutionarily. The same set of analysis has shown many presumed genera within this family to be paraphyletic, but the small genus ''Bommeria'' appears to be monophyletic, or a natural genus.
''Bommeria'' is a "gymnogrammoid" fern, exhibiting unprotected sori aligned along veins on the undersides of the fronds. This is why it was assumed to be closely allied to ''Hemionitis''. Such a feature is strongly at odds with most pteridoid ferns (Pteridaceae), which typically have linear marginal sori with an indusium, and sometimes protected with a reflexed leaf tissue margin. Apparently, this is a trait that can arise independently, and may be an atavistic trait.
The stipes (leaf stems) of ''Bommeria'' are hairy, with some scales, and the fronds are hairy, both above and below. The hairs above and short and sharp, while the hairs below may be straight or curled. Scales are also present on the bottoms of the fronds.
The genus name honors Belgian botanist Jean-Édouard Bommer Joseph (Jean) Édouard Bommer (16 November 1829, Brussels – 19 February 1895, Brussels) was a Belgian botanist specializing in the field of pteridology. He was the husband of mycologist Elise Caroline Destrée de Bommer (1832-1910).
Despite ...
.
Phylogeny
, the ''Checklist of Ferns and Lycophytes of the World'' recognized the following species:[
]
References
Further reading
*Haufler, Christopher H. "A biosystematic revision of ''Bommeria''." ''Journal of the Arnold Arboretum'' 60:445-476. 1979.
*Maxon, William. "Studies of Tropical American Ferns." ''Contributions from the United States National Herbarium'', Volume 17, United States National Herbarium, United States. Division of Botany, United States National Museum. 1916.
*Windham, M.D., L. Huiet, E. Schuettpelz, A.L. Grusz, C. Rothfels, J. Beck, G. Yatskievych, and K.M. Pryer. "Using plastid and nuclear DNA sequences to redraw generic boundaries and demystify species complexes in cheilanthoid ferns." ''American Fern Journal'' 99: 128–132. 2009.
*Yarborough, Sharon C. and A. Michael Powell. ''Ferns and Fern Allies of the Trans-Pecos and Adjacent Areas''. Texas Tech University Press, Texas. 2002. 116pp, b/w ill, maps, PB. . (for ''Bommeria hispida'' and genus description)
{{Taxonbar, from=Q4940889
Pteridaceae
Ferns of the United States
Flora of the Southwestern United States
Flora of Northwestern Mexico
Flora of Northeastern Mexico
Flora of Central America
Flora of New Mexico
Fern genera