Microsoroideae is a subfamily in the

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 except ...

family

Polypodiaceae Polypodiaceae is a family of ferns. In the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I), the family includes around 65 genera and an estimated 1,650 species and is placed in the order Polypodiales, suborder Polypodiineae. A broade ...

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). The subfamily is also treated as the tribe Microsoreae within a very broadly defined family Polypodiaceae ''

sensu lato ''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 c ...

''. In either treatment, it includes the previously separated tribe Lepisoreae.

Taxonomy

The taxonomy of the subfamily Microsoroideae has been described as "highly problematic". The division into genera varies considerably. The

classification of 2016 (PPG I) recognized the following genera, while accepting that some needed further evaluation: :*''

Goniophlebium ''Goniophlebium'' is a genus of ferns in the family Polypodiaceae, subfamily Microsoroideae, according to the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I). Taxonomy A molecular phylogenetic study in 2019 suggested that ''Go ...

'' (Blume) C.Presl :*''

Lecanopteris ''Lecanopteris'' is a genus of ferns in the family Polypodiaceae, subfamily Microsoroideae, according to the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I). They have swollen hollow rhizomes that provide homes for symbiotic ants ...

'' Reinw. ex Blume :*'' Lemmaphyllum'' C.Presl :*''

Lepidomicrosorium ''Lepidomicrosorium'' is a genus of ferns in the family Polypodiaceae, subfamily Microsoroideae, with a single species, ''Lepidomicrosorium subhastatum'', according to the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I). Other s ...

'' Ching & K.H.Shing :*''

Lepisorus ''Lepisorus'' is a genus of ferns in the family Polypodiaceae, subfamily Microsoroideae, according to the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I). Taxonomy ''Lepisorus'' was first described by John Smith in 1846 as the ...

'' (J.Sm.) Ching :*'' Leptochilus'' Kaulf. (including ''Kontumia'') :*''

Microsorum ''Microsorum'' is a genus of ferns in the family Polypodiaceae, subfamily Microsoroideae, according to the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I). The species are tropical. Like most ferns, they grow from rhizomes, ra ...

'' Link (including ''Dendroconche'', ''Kaulinia'') :*''

Neocheiropteris ''Neocheiropteris'' is a genus of ferns in the family Polypodiaceae, subfamily Microsoroideae, according to the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I). Taxonomy A molecular phylogenetic study in 2019 suggested that ''N ...

'' Christ. :*''

Neolepisorus ''Neolepisorus'' is a genus of ferns in the family Polypodiaceae, subfamily Microsoroideae, according to the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I). Taxonomy ''Neolepisorus'' was first described by Ren-Chang Ching in ...

'' Ching :*'' Paragramma'' (Blume) T.Moore :*''

Thylacopteris ''Thylacopteris'' is a genus of ferns in the family Polypodiaceae, subfamily Microsoroideae, according to the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I). Taxonomy ''Thylacopteris'' was first described by John Smith in 1875 ...

'' Kunze ex J.Sm. :*''

Tricholepidium ''Tricholepidium'' is a genus of ferns in the family Polypodiaceae, subfamily Microsoroideae, according to the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I). Taxonomy ''Tricholepidium'' was first described by Ren-Chang Ching ...

'' Ching A

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 ...

study in 2019 suggested the following relationship between the PPG I genera (''Thylacopteris'' was not included in the study): Species placed in the PPG I genera ''Lepidomicrosorium'', ''Neocheiropteris'', ''Neolepisorus'' and ''Tricholepidium'' were intermingled in a single clade. Although ''Lemmaphyllum'' and ''Lepisorus'' s.s. were

monophyletic In cladistics for a group of organisms, monophyly is the condition of being a clade—that is, a group of taxa composed only of a common ancestor (or more precisely an ancestral population) and all of its lineal descendants. Monophyletic ...

, the authors suggested a single broadly circumscribed ''Lepisorus'' s.l. for all of these genera. Three clades, mainly comprising species previously placed in ''Microsorum'', were closely related to ''Lecanopteris'' s.s. and distinct from other clades in the subfamily. Rather than expanding the

circumscription Circumscription may refer to: *Circumscribed circle * Circumscription (logic) *Circumscription (taxonomy) *Circumscription theory The circumscription theory is a theory of the role of warfare in state formation in political anthropology, created ...

of ''Lecanopteris'', the authors of the study preferred to use four genera, reviving ''Dendroconche'' and erecting two new genera ''Bosmania'' and ''Zealandia''. , ''Lepisorus'' s.l. and ''Lecanopteris'' s.l. are treated differently by PPG I, the ''Checklist of Ferns and Lycophytes of the World'' (CFLW) and ''

Plants of the World Online Plants of the World Online (POWO) is an online database published by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. It was launched in March 2017 with the ultimate aim being "to enable users to access information on all the world's known seed-bearing plants ...

'' (PoWO), as shown in the following tables.

References

* Plant subfamilies {{Polypodiaceae-stub