The ''Leptopteris'' is a small

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

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 Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; , fossilized , also known as Papua or historically ) is the List of islands by area, world's second-largest island, with an area of . Located in Melanesia in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is ...

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New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

, and the Pacific Islands. They are similar to ferns in the related genus ''

Todea The fern genus ''Todea'' is known from only two living species. Species in the genus ''Todea'', as '' Leptopteris'', are distinct from other in Osmundaceae in that sporangia are born on laminar pinnules. Description The species in the genus h ...

'', and were originally included in that genus. However, the very thin fronds of ''Leptopteris'' differ from the thick leathery fronds of ''Todea'', and the genera are considered distinct. A probable extinct species, ''Leptopteris estipularis'' is known from the Early Cretaceous of India.

Species

There are seven living species and one naturally-occurring interspecific hybrid.''Leptopteris'' C.Presl
''

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 ...

''. Retrieved 21 January 2024. * ''

Leptopteris alpina The ''Leptopteris'' is a small genus of ferns native to the New Guinea, Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. They are similar to ferns in the related genus ''Todea'', and were originally included in that genus. However, the very thin ...

'' (Baker) C.Chr. – New Guinea and

Seram Seram (formerly spelled Ceram; also Seran or Serang) is the largest and main island of Maluku province of Indonesia, despite Ambon Island's historical importance. It is located just north of the smaller Ambon Island and a few other adjacent i ...

* †'' Leptopteris estipularis'' (Sharma, Bohra & Singh) Bomfleur, Grimm & McLoughlin * ''

Leptopteris fraseri ''Leptopteris fraseri'', commonly known as the crepe fern, is a species of plant occurring in eastern Australia. Its habitat is wet places, mostly on the Great Dividing Range. It is found in caves, near waterfalls, in dark shady places in the co ...

'' – eastern New South Wales and northeastern Queensland * ''

Leptopteris hymenophylloides ''Leptopteris hymenophylloides'', which is commonly called single crepe fern is a fern in the family Osmundaceae. It is endemic to New Zealand at North Island: Northland, Auckland, Volcanic Plateau, Gisborne, Taranaki, Southern North Island. ...

'' – New Zealand and the

Chatham Islands The Chatham Islands ( ; Moriori language, Moriori: , 'Misty Sun'; ) are an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean about east of New Zealand's South Island, administered as part of New Zealand, and consisting of about 10 islands within an approxima ...

* ''Leptopteris'' × ''intermedia'' (B.S.Williams ex T.Moore) Gower (''L. hymenophylloides'' × ''L. superba'') – New Zealand * ''

Leptopteris laxa The ''Leptopteris'' is a small genus of ferns native to the New Guinea, Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. They are similar to ferns in the related genus ''Todea'', and were originally included in that genus. However, the very thin ...

'' Copeland – Bismarck Archipelago and Solomon Islands * †''

Leptopteris minuta The ''Leptopteris'' is a small genus of ferns native to the New Guinea, Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. They are similar to ferns in the related genus ''Todea'', and were originally included in that genus. However, the very thin ...

'' Romanovskaja * ''

Leptopteris moorei '' Leptopteris moorei '' is a fern in the family Osmundaceae. The specific epithet honours Charles Moore, Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney from 1849 to 1896, who collected plants on Lord Howe Island in 1869. Description The fer ...

'' (Baker) Christ –

Lord Howe Island Lord Howe Island (; formerly Lord Howe's Island) is an irregularly crescent-shaped volcanic remnant in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand, part of the Australian state of New South Wales. It lies directly east of mainland Port ...

* ''

Leptopteris superba ''Leptopteris superba'', commonly called Prince of Wales feathers or common crape fern, is a fern in the genus '' Leptopteris''. It is considered endemic to New Zealand at North Island: Northland, Auckland, Volcanic Plateau, Gisborne, Tarana ...

'' – New Zealand * ''

Leptopteris wilkesiana ''Leptopteris wilkesiana'' is a species of tree fern. It is native to Fiji, New Caledonia, New Guinea, the Samoan Islands, and Vanuatu Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (; ), is an island country in Melanesia located in ...

'' – Fiji, New Caledonia, New Guinea, Samoan Islands, and Vanuatu

Phylogeny

Phylogeny of ''Leptopteris''

References

Osmundales Ferns of Asia Ferns of Australasia Fern genera {{Polypodiidae-stub