Polypodiaceae
| Polypodiaceae | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Pleopeltis polypodioides fronds on an oak limb | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Division: | Pteridophyta |
| Class: | Polypodiopsida/Pteridopsida (disputed) |
| Order: | Polypodiales |
| (unranked): | Eupolypods I |
| Family: | Polypodiaceae |
| Subfamilies/Tribes/Clades | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Drynariaceae |
|
Drynariaceae
Grammitidaceae
Gymnogrammitidaceae
Loxogrammaceae
Platyceriaceae
Pleurisoriopsidaceae
Polypodiaceae is a family of polypod ferns, which includes more than 60 genera divided into several tribes and containing around 1,000 species. Nearly all are epiphytes, but some are terrestrial.
Stems of Polypodiaceae range from erect to long-creeping. The fronds are entire, pinnatifid, or variously forked or pinnate. The petioles lack stipules. The scaly rhizomes are generally creeping in nature. Polypodiaceae species are found in wet climates, most commonly in rain forests. In temperate zones, most species tend to be epiphytic or epipetric.
Notable examples of ferns in this family include the resurrection fern (Pleopeltis polypodioides) and the golden serpent fern (Phlebodium aureum).
Molecular phylogenic analysis has led to the division of the Polypodiaceae into five subfamiles, 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. In the list that follows, the taxa shown with the "(=)" prefix are considered to be synonymyms 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.
The following cladogram shows a likely relationship between the Polypodiaceae subfamilies according to Schuettpelz & Pryer (2008).
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