Pteridophyta: Psilotales

Psilotaceae - Whisk ferns

Crouch, N.R., Klopper, R.R., Burrows, J.E. & Burrows, S.M. (2011) Ferns of Southern Africa, A comprehensive guide Struik Nature

Jacobsen, W.B.G. (1983) The Ferns and Fern Allies of Southern Africa. Butterworths, Durban and Pretoria.

Roux, J.P. (2001) Conspectus of Southern African Pteridophyta. Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report 13

Schelpe, E.A.C.L.E. (1970) Pteridophyta Flora Zambesiaca

Description of the family

Epiphytic or lithophytic perennial plants. Rhizome shortly creeping, dichotomously or laterally branched, with endophytic mycorrhiza, without roots, with short and long rhizoids. Aerial stems linear, chlorophyllous, erect or pendulous, dichotomously branched, simple towards the base. Leaves much reduced, simple, scale-like, lacking a midrib, without ligules. Sporangia in globular, thick-walled synangia composed of 2 or 3 fused sporangia, exindusiate, homosporus.

Worldwide: 2 genera and 12 species. Tmesipteris confined to tropical Asia and western Oceania, Psilotum has a pantropical distribution.

Zimbabwe: 1 genus and 1 taxon.

Links to genera: View: living plant images - herbarium specimen images - all images for this family

Genus	Content
Psilotum Sw.	Description, Image

Other sources of information about Psilotaceae:

Our websites:

Flora of Malawi: Psilotaceae
Flora of Mozambique: Psilotaceae
Flora of Zambia: Psilotaceae

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Psilotaceae
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
GRIN (Germplasm Resources Information Network) taxonomy for plants report for Psilotaceae
Wikipedia: Psilotaceae