''Calochlaena'' is a genus of ferns within the family Dicksoniaceae. Although these ground ferns resemble

bracken Bracken (''Pteridium'') is a genus of large, coarse ferns in the family (biology), family Dennstaedtiaceae. Ferns (Pteridophyta) are vascular plants that undergo alternation of generations, having both large plants that produce spores and small ...

, they are only distantly related. Five species are known from Melanesia, Polynesia and eastern Australia. '' Calochlaena dubia'', is a common fern of the east coast of Australia. The name is derived from the

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the classical antiquity, ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Greek ...

''kalos'' "beautiful" and ''chlaina'' "cloak", and refers to the soft hairs on the species. The genus was originally described by William Ralph Maxon as a subgenus of the fern genus '' Culcita'', but the differences were such that its members were raised to genus level, and are now considered to be in separate families. ''Culcita'' was restricted to two species, one from Mediterranean Europe and one from North America.

Species

Plants of the World Online Plants of the World Online (POWO) is an online taxonomic database published by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. History Following the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew launched Plants of the World Online i ...

Species

Phylogeny

References

External links