Lindsaeaceae

Sphenomeris chinensis

The Lindsaeaceae are a family of genuine ferns ( Polypodiopsida ).

Features

The roots have a sclerenchymatous outer cortex and an inner layer of bark from six cells thick (not for lonchitis and Cystodium ). The rhizomes are short to long creeping, protostelisch with internal phloem, in a few taxa also a Solenostele. Sitting at the rhizomes narrow, shed with hair. The leaf blades are feathered one to three times, rarely, often, mostly bald. The nerves terminate free to branch out forked, rarely anastomosing.

The sori are at or near the leaf margin ( marginal or submarginal ). The indusium opens to the leaf edge toward ( extrors ), sometimes it is attached at the sides, or the sori are by the recurved leaf margin covered ( at lonchitis ). The spores are tetrahedral and trilet ( drestrahlige have a scar ), rarely they are bilaterally and monolet ( simple scar ).

The gametophyte is green and heart-shaped.

The basic number of chromosomes is x = 34, 38, 39, 44, 47, 48, 49, 50 or 51

System

The family contains eight genera with a total of around 200 species:

• Cystodium J. Sm, with the only kind that occurs in times Rhodesia and New Guinea: Cystodium sorbifolium ( Sm ) J. Sm

• Ormoloma imrayanum ( Hook. ) Maxon

• Xyropteris stortii ( Alderw. ) K.U. Kramer

In the family of transcription by Smith et al. (2006) are also included the partial run as an independent family Cystodiaceae and Lonchitidaceae. The classification of lonchitis seems strange due to the morphological features, however, is well supported by molecular studies. In this description the family is very probably monophyletic.

Documents

• Alan R. Smith, Kathleen M. Pryer, Eric Schuettpelz, Petra coral, Harald Schneider, Paul G. Wolf: A classification for extant ferns. In: taxon. Volume 55, No. 3, 2006, ISSN 0040-0262, pp. 705-731, Abstract, PDF file.
• David John Mabberley: The Plant-Book. A portable dictionary of the higher plants. Cambridge University Press 1987. ISBN 0-521-34060-8