Dryopteridaceae

Dryopteridaceae
Dryopteris carthusiana
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Pteridophyta
Class:	Polypodiopsida/Pteridopsida (disputed)
Order:	Polypodiales
(unranked):	Eupolypods I
Family:	Dryopteridaceae Ching
Genera
see text

The Dryopteridaceae, or wood ferns are a family of ferns^[1] with a cosmopolitan distribution.

All of the fronds of Dryopteridaceae ferns contain round sori (reproductive clusters) on the underside of the pinnae (leaflets) unlike some other ferns which have separate specialized reproductive fronds. Many of the sori have peltate indusia. Most have prominent scales on the stipes of the fronds. Many have stout, creeping rhizomes. Many are cultivated as ornamental plants. Distribution is pantropical, also with many temperate representatives. They may be terrestrial, epipetric, hemiepiphytic, or epiphytic.

Characteristics

Rhizomes creeping, ascending or erect, sometimes scandent or climbing, with non-clathrate scales at apices; petioles with numerous round, vascular bundles arranged in a ring; blades monomorphic, less often dimorphic, sometimes scaly or glandular, uncommonly hairy; veins pinnate or forking, free to variously anastomosing, with or without included veinlets; sori usually round, indusia round-reniform or peltate (lost in several lineages), or sori exindusiate, acrostichoid in a few lineages; sporangia with 3-rowed, short to long stalks; spores reniform, monolete, perine winged. ^[2]

Classification

Cladistically, The Dryopteridaceae, as Eupolypods, might be considered evolutionarily advanced among ferns, from the late Cretaceous period, with only the polypodioid, grammitoid, davallioid, and a few other small groups of ferns being considered more advanced. The Dryopteridaceae family contains about 40–45 genera and 1700 species, of which 70% are in four genera (Ctenitis, Dryopteris, Elaphoglossum, and Polystichum). .^[2] Included genera at this point include:

• Acrophorus
• Acrorumohra
• Adenoderris
• Arachniodes
• Ataxipteris
• Bolbitis (incl. Egenolfia)
• Coveniella
• Ctenitis
• Cyclodium
• Cyrtogonellum
• Cyrtomidictyum
• Cyrtomium
• Didymochlaena
• Dracoglossum
• Dryopolystichum
• Dryopsis
• Dryopteris (incl. Nothoperanema')
• Elaphoglossum (incl. Microstaphyla, Peltapteris)
• Hypodematium
• Lastreopsis
• Leucostegia
• Lithostegia
• Lomagramma
• Maxonia
• Megalastrum
• Oenotrichia
• Olfersia
• Peranema
• Phanerophlebia
• Polystichum (incl. Papuapteris, Plecosorus)
• Polybotrya
• Polystichopsis
• Revwattsia
• Rumohra
• Stenolepia
• Stigmatopteris
• Teratophyllum
• †Wessiea

Older classifications, such as that used by the USDA, had 34 Genera and 244 taxa. A number of genera were redistributed to new families by Smith (2006). Mateuccia and Onoclea were moved to a small family called Onocleaceae. Athyrium, Deparia, Diplazium, Gymnocarpium, Hemidictyum, Woodsia and Cystopteris were moved to Woodsiaceae; Cyclopeltis, Nephrolepis and Lomariopsis to Lomariopsidaceae; Fadyenia, Hypoderris, Tectaria, Triplophyllum and Heterogonium to Tectariaceae; and Oleandra to Oleandraceae.

Nothoperanema is now included in Dryopteris. A new genus, Dracoglossum, was added by Christenhusz in 2007.

References

1. ^ C.Michael Hogan. 2010. Fern. Encyclopedia of Earth. eds. Saikat Basu and C.Cleveland. National Council for Science and the Environment. Washington DC.
2. ^ ^{a b} Smith, A. R., K. M. Pryer, et al. (2006). "A classification for extant ferns." Taxon 55(3): 705-731