Polypodiaceae is a

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

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. In the

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

classification of 2016 (PPG I), the family includes around 65

genera Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family as used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In binomial nomenclature, the genus name forms the first part of the binomial s ...

and an estimated 1,650

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

and is placed in the order

Polypodiales The Order (biology), order Polypodiales encompasses the major lineages of polypod ferns, which comprise more than 80% of today's fern species. They are found in many parts of the world including Tropics, tropical, semitropical and Temperate clima ...

, suborder

Polypodiineae Polypodiineae is a suborder of ferns in the order Polypodiales. It is equivalent to the clade eupolypods I in earlier systems, and to the very broadly defined family Polypodiaceae in the classification of Christenhusz & Chase (2014). It probably ...

. A broader

circumscription Circumscription may refer to: * Circumscribed circle * Circumscription (logic) *Circumscription (taxonomy) * Circumscription theory, a theory about the origins of the political state in the history of human evolution proposed by the American anthr ...

has also been used, in which the family includes other families kept separate in PPG I. Nearly all species are

epiphyte An epiphyte is a plant or plant-like organism that grows on the surface of another plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphyt ...

s, but some are terrestrial.

Description

Stems of Polypodiaceae range from erect to long-creeping. 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 ...

s are entire, pinnatifid, or variously forked or pinnate. The petioles lack

stipule In botany, a stipule is an outgrowth typically borne on both sides (sometimes on just one side) of the base of a leafstalk (the petiole (botany), petiole). They are primarily found among dicots and rare among monocots. Stipules are considered part ...

s. The scaly

rhizome In botany and dendrology, a rhizome ( ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and Shoot (botany), shoots from its Node (botany), nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from ...

s are generally creeping in nature. Polypodiaceae species are found in wet climates, most commonly in

rain forest Rainforests are forests characterized by a closed and continuous tree Canopy (biology), canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforests can be generally classified as tropi ...

s. In temperate zones, most species tend to be

epiphytic An epiphyte is a plant or plant-like organism that grows on the surface of another plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphyt ...

or epipetric. Notable examples of ferns in this family include the resurrection fern (''

Pleopeltis polypodioides ''Pleopeltis polypodioides'', common name resurrection fern, is a species of creeping, coarse-textured fern native to the Americas and Africa. Description The evergreen fronds of ''Pleopeltis polypodioides'' are 25 cm high by 5 cm wid ...

'') and the golden serpent fern ('' Phlebodium aureum'').

Taxonomy

Two distinct circumscriptions of the family are in use. The

classification of 2016 (PPG I) uses a circumscription of Polypodiaceae in which the family is placed in the suborder

(eupolypods I), along with eight other families. The relationship between the families is shown in the consensus cladogram below. An alternative approach treats the suborder Polypodiineae as the 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 co ...

, and reduces the families to subfamilies, so that the Polypodiaceae

sensu stricto ''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 ...

becomes the subfamily Polypodioideae. The broader circumscription is used by

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 ...

, ; for example, the

Dryopteridaceae The Dryopteridaceae are a Family (biology), family of leptosporangiate ferns in the Order (biology), order Polypodiales. They are known Common name, colloquially as the wood ferns. In the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG&n ...

, shown above as a separate family, is included in its Polypodiaceae. The broadly defined Polypodiaceae has been described as an "unwieldy megafamily".

Subfamilies

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 ...

analysis has led to the division of the Polypodiaceae into six subfamilies, and to the inclusion of genera that have at various times been placed in other families, including the Drynariaceae, Grammitidaceae, Gymnogrammitidaceae, Loxogrammaceae, Platyceriaceae, and Pleurisoriopsidaceae. The following

cladogram A cladogram (from Greek language, Greek ''clados'' "branch" and ''gramma'' "character") is a diagram used in cladistics to show relations among organisms. A cladogram is not, however, an Phylogenetic tree, evolutionary tree because it does not s ...

shows a possible phylogenetic relationship between the subfamilies based on an analysis published in 2008; at the time, Grammitidoideae was not separated from Polypodioideae. The subfamilies are treated as tribes in other systems. Mabberley, in 2008, treated all of Polypodiaceae except for the Platycerioideae (''

Platycerium ''Platycerium'' is a genus of about 18 fern species in the polypod family, Polypodiaceae. Ferns in this genus are widely known as staghorn or elkhorn ferns due to their uniquely shaped fronds. This genus is Epiphyte, epiphytic and is native to tr ...

'' and '' Pyrrosia'') and the grammitid ferns, which he placed in Grammitidaceae, as the subfamily Polypodioideae, which he then divided into six tribes, four of which correspond to PPG I subfamilies (Drynarieae, Loxogrammeae, Microsoreae and Polypodieae) and others of which have been submerged (Selligueeae, now within Drynarioideae, and Lepisoreae, now within Microsoroideae). Other systems also treat the subfamilies as tribes. The equivalence is shown in the following table.

Phylogeny

In the list that follows, the taxa shown with the "(=)" prefix are considered to be synonyms for the accepted subfamily name that they follow. However, this does not necessarily imply that the subfamily contains all of the synonym's previous genera. * Subfamily Adetogrammoideae Zhang & Wei **'' Adetogramma'' Almeida * Subfamily Campyloneuroideae Zhang & Wei **'' Campyloneurum'' C.Presl **'' Microgramma'' C.Presl **'' Niphidium'' J.Sm. Crypsinus hastatus mitudeurabosi01

* Subfamily Drynarioideae Crabbe, Jermy & Mickel ( Drynarieae Subh.Chandra; Selligueeae Hennipman; Aglaomorpheae Chandra; Crypsinoideae Nayar) **'' Drynaria'' (Bory 1825) Smith Aglaomorpha''">Aglaomorpha_(plant).html" ;"title="'Aglaomorpha (plant)">Aglaomorpha''**''Pichisermollodes'' Fraser-Jenk. & Challis. **''Selliguea'' Bory [''Arthromeris''; ''Gymnogrammitis''; ''Paraselliguea''; ''Polypodiopteris''] **×''Sellimeris'' Fraser-Jenkins, Singh & Fraser-Jenkins **'' Synammia'' C.Presl Finger Fern Grammitis billardierei - Mt Imlay

Finger Fern Grammitis billardierei - Mt Imlay

* Subfamily

Grammitidoideae Grammitidoideae is a subfamily of the fern family Polypodiaceae, whose members are informally known as grammitids. It comprises a clade of about 750 species. They are distributed over higher elevations in both the Old World, Old and New World. T ...

Parris & Sundue rammitideae Presl; Mecosoreae Klotzsch; Pleurogrammeae Fée ex Pfeiffer:*'' Acrosorus'' Copel. :*'' Adenophorus'' Gaudich. :*'' Alansmia'' M.Kessler, Moguel, Sundue & Labiak :*'' Archigrammitis'' Parris :*'' Ascogrammitis'' Sundue :*'' Calymmodon'' C.Presl :*'' Ceradenia'' L.E.Bishop :*'' Chrysogrammitis'' Parris :*'' Cochlidium'' Kaulf. 'Xiphopteris'' Kaulfuss:*'' Ctenopterella'' Parris :*'' Dasygrammitis'' Parris :*'' Enterosora'' Baker 'Zygophlebia'' L.E.Bishop">Zygophlebia.html" ;"title="'Zygophlebia">'Zygophlebia'' L.E.Bishop:*''Galactodenia'' Sundue & Labiak :*''Grammitis'' Sw. :*''Lellingeria'' A.R.Sm. & R.C.Moran :*''Leucotrichum'' Labiak :*''Lomaphlebia'' J.Sm. :*'' Luisma'' M.T.Murillo & A.R.Sm. :*''

Melpomene Melpomene (; ) is the Muse of tragedy in Greek mythology. She is described as the daughter of Zeus and Mnemosyne (and therefore of power and memory) along with the other Muses, and she is often portrayed with a tragic theatrical mask. Etymolog ...

'' A.R.Sm. & R.C.Moran :*'' Micropolypodium'' Hayata :*'' Moranopteris'' R.Y.Hirai & J.Prado :*'' Mycopteris'' Sundue :*'' Notogrammitis'' Parris :*'' Oreogrammitis'' Copel. 'Radiogrammitis'' Parris; ''Themelium'' (T.Moore) Parris:*'' Parrisia'' Shalisko & Sundue :*'' Prosaptia'' C.Presl 'Ctenopteris'' Blume ex Kunze non Brongniart ex de Saporta non Newman">Ctenopteris.html" ;"title="'Ctenopteris">'Ctenopteris'' Blume ex Kunze non Brongniart ex de Saporta non Newman:*''Scleroglossum'' Alderw. [''Nematopteris'' van Alderwerelt van Rosenburgh] :*''Stenogrammitis'' Labiak :*''Terpsichore (plant), Terpsichore'' A.R.Sm. :*'' Tomophyllum'' (E.Fourn.) Parris :*'' Xiphopterella'' Parris Strap fern dictymia mckeei tindale

* Subfamily Loxogrammoideae H.Schneid. ( Loxogrammeae R.M.Tryon & A.F.Tryon) :Lacks sclerenchyma (supporting tissue) in plant body, except in the roots. :*'' Dictymia'' J.Sm. :*'' Loxogramme'' (Blume) C.Presl Microsorum pteropus

* Subfamily Microsoroideae B.K.Nayar (Lepisoroideae Ching; Microsoreae V.N.Tu; Lemmaphylleae Tu) :*'' Bosmania'' Testo :*'' Dendroconche'' Copel. :*'' Ellipinema'' Zhang & Zhang :*'' Goniophlebium'' (Blume) C.Presl :*'' Lecanopteris'' Reinw. ex Blume :*'' Lemmaphyllum'' C.Presl :*'' Lepidomicrosorium'' Ching & K.H.Shing :*'' Lepisorus'' (J.Sm.) Ching :*'' Leptochilus'' Kaulf. 'Kontumia'' Wu & Lôc:*'' Microsorum'' Link 'Kaulinia'' Nayar:*'' Neocheiropteris'' Christ. :*'' Neolepisorus'' Ching :*'' Paragramma'' (Blume) T.Moore :*'' Phymatosorus'' Pichi-Sermolli :*'' Podosorus'' Holttum :*'' Thylacopteris'' Kunze ex J.Sm. :*'' Tricholepidium'' Ching :*''

Zealandia Zealandia (pronounced ), also known as (Māori language, Māori) or Tasmantis (from Tasman Sea), is an almost entirely submerged continent, submerged mass of continental crust in Oceania that subsided after breaking away from Gondwana 83� ...

'' Testo * Subfamily Platycerioideae B.K.Nayar (Platycerieae Christenhusz) :Fronds with stellate hairs (star-shaped, radiating from center). :*'' Hovenkampia'' Zhang & Zhou :*''

'' Desv. :*'' Pyrrosia'' Mirb. Polypodium appalachianum1

* Subfamily Polypodioideae Sweet ( Polypodieae Hooker & Lindley ex Duby (''sensu'' Mabberley 2008)) :*'' Pecluma'' M.G.Price. :*'' Phlebodium'' (R.Br.) J.Sm. :*×'' Phlebosia'' Viane & Pompe :*'' Pleopeltis'' Humb. & Bonpl. ex Willd. :*'' Pleurosoriopsis'' Fomin :*'' Polypodium'' L. Perhaps * Subfamily Serpocauloideae Zhang & Wei **'' Serpocaulon'' A.R.Sm.

References

External links