Pteridophyta: Polypodiales

Pteridaceae - Brakes

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

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

Terrestrial, epilithic or (rarely) epiphytic ferns with a short life cycle or perennial. Rhizomes short or long, suberect, decumbent or creeping, often laterally branched; roots few or many, often fleshy. Stipe not articulated, often dark-coloured. Fronds tufted or widely spaced, mono- or dimorphic. Lamina pinnately compound, pedate, dichotomously forked or helicoid, often with a proliferating bud at the rhachis apex, herbaceous or coriaceous, glabrous or variously set with indumentum; ultimate segments often articulated; venation free (in sterile fronds) or forming a network, without included veinlets, ending in or near the margin, often in hydathodes. Indumentum composed of unicellular glands on the abaxial surface of the lamina, or needle-like hairs occuring on the axes and lamina and/or scales on the rhizome and stipe. Sori variously arranged, exindusiate or covered by a strongly modified marginal indusium. Sporangia often mixed with paraphyses (sterile hairs).

Comment: recent taxonomy treats the pteridoid ferns as comprising either 5 monophyletic subfamilies or, as treated here, 5 families, i.e. Parkeriaceae, Adiantaceae, Cryptogrammaceae, Sinopteridaceae and Pteridaceae.

Worldwide: 17 genera and c. 400 species, cosmopolitan but mainly tropical

Zimbabwe: 4 genera and 15 taxa.

Actiniopteris dimorpha subsp. dimorpha

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

GenusContent
Actiniopteris LinkDescription, Image
Anogramma LinkDescription
Pityrogramma LinkDescription, Image
Pteris L.Description, Image

Other sources of information about Pteridaceae:

Our websites:

Flora of Botswana: Pteridaceae
Flora of Caprivi: cultivated Pteridaceae
Flora of Malawi: Pteridaceae
Flora of Mozambique: Pteridaceae
Flora of Zambia: Pteridaceae

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Pteridaceae
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Pteridaceae
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Pteridaceae
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Pteridaceae
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Pteridaceae
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Pteridaceae
JSTOR Plant Science: Pteridaceae
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Pteridaceae
Wikipedia: Pteridaceae
Plants of the World Online: Pteridaceae
Tropicos: Pteridaceae



Copyright: Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten, Petra Ballings and Meg Coates Palgrave, 2002-24

Hyde, M.A., Wursten, B.T., Ballings, P. & Coates Palgrave, M. (2024). Flora of Zimbabwe: Family page: Pteridaceae.
https://www.zimbabweflora.co.zw/speciesdata/family.php?family_id=190, retrieved 19 March 2024

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