We present an alternative taxonomic treatment of Serpocaulon from southern and southeastern Brazil. Eighteen species are recognized for these regions, 14 of which are endemics. They are: S. catharinae, S. demissum, S. glandulosissimum, S. hirsutulum, S. laetum, S. latipes, S. menisciifolium, S. mexiae, S. pectinans comb. nov. (rescued from synonymy), S. pictum comb. nov. (rescued from synonymy), S. polystichum, S. pratorum sp. nov., S. pubescens (recognized as a species, not a hybrid), S. rex, S. simplicifolium sp. nov., S. swartziifolium sp. nov., S. triseriale, and S. vacillans. We present a key to species, descriptions, illustrations, and lists of examined specimens. We also present some putative hybrid specimens.
A new population of Adiantum pearcei Phil. (Pteridaceae), a Critically Endangered (CR) species, is reported from the Valparaiso Region of Chile, specifically in Quebrada Eugenia, Putaendo, at 1086 m a.s.l. Until now, the species was only known from its type locality at Cerro Largo (Chacabuco Province, Metropolitan Region) and Cerro La Posada (Tiltil). This finding represents the first record of the species in the Valparaiso Region and extends its known distribution by approximately 50 km north of the type locality. Adiantum pearcei is easily recognized by its 1-pinnate, completely glabrous fronds. The newly discovered population inhabits Mediterranean sclerophyllous shrubland, coexisting with other endemic and threatened species, in an area under strong anthropogenic pressures such as mining, grazing, prolonged drought, and habitat fragmentation. An updated description of the species is provided, along with information on its distribution, ecology, and conservation status, as well as an identification key to the Chilean species of Adiantum.
The sterile hybrid between diploid Isoetes bolanderi and hexaploid I. occidentalis has been found in a number of high elevation lakes within the cordilleran area of the western United States. Specimens of the previously undescribed Isoetes & times; hendersonii, hyb. nov. are confined to the area of overlap between the putative parents in California, Oregon, Montana, and probably Colorado. It likely will be found to be the most commonly occurring of cordilleran Isoetes hybrids.
Pteris wallichiana and P. aspericaulis, belonging to the family Pteridaceae, possess both medicinal and ornamental value, leading to their increasingly widespread applications. Pteris wallichiana is distributed in limited regions of southeastern and southwestern China, while P. aspericaulis is primarily found in localized areas of southwestern China, with extremely scarce wild populations. This study conducted an in-depth investigation into the spore propagation conditions of these two ferns to establish propagation systems in large scale, providing technical support for their resource conservation and utilization. The results demonstrated that for P. wallichiana, the peat soil was the optimal substrate for spore cultivation, with 26 degrees C temperature and 36 & micro;mol m(-2 )s(-1) light intensity as the most favorable conditions. After sporophyte formation, peat soil remained the best substrate for young sporophyte transplantation and cultivation, with 26 degrees C temperature and 50 & micro;mol m(-2) s(-1) light intensity as optimal conditions. For P. aspericaulis, a mixed substrate (peat, sand, and garden soil in a 1:1:1 ratio) yielded the best spore germination results under 26 degrees C temperature and 36 & micro;mol m(-2) s(-1) light intensity. During sporophyte transplantation, the mixed substrate again proved most effective, with 26 degrees C temperature and 50 & micro;mol m(-2) s(-1) light intensity providing the ideal conditions for young sporophyte cultivation.
Hispaniola is the highest and most botanically diverse island of the Antilles, with approximately 660 species of ferns and lycophytes. We present a list of the ferns and lycophytes of the & Eacute;bano Verde Scientific Reserve spanning cloud forest, palm forest, and riparian forest in the mountain range with the highest diversity of ferns in the Antillean global biodiversity hotspot. Patterns of association between fern species composition and a set of environmental variables derived from geomorphological data were explored in these three habitat types. A general survey of ferns and lycophytes was also conducted in the reserve, including within a fourth vegetation type, pine forest, which was not included in quantitative analyses due to a greater degree of anthropogenic disturbance at this site. We report 83 species belonging to 19 families and 48 genera, with 68 native, five endemic, two introduced, and six unknown and potentially undescribed taxa. The data provided in this study can be used as a basis for monitoring future changes in the fern and lycophyte flora of the EVSR, as well as contributing to the floristic knowledge of Hispaniola.
is essential to know the composition and distribution of plant species in ecosystems to devise appropriate management and conservation strategies. In the state of Nayarit, Mexico, there are few floristic and ecological studies of ferns and lycophytes, so the objectives of this study focused on determining the composition, richness, and distribution of both groups of plants at state level. Specimens were collected from 11 vegetation types, in an elevation range of 0 to 2132 m, between 2014 and 2024. The species list was obtained from the identified specimens, consulting previous works, and reviewing herbaria specimens. In addition, the growth habit, geographic distribution, species similarity between vegetation types, and inventory completeness were determined. In general, richness and similarity were high in the cloud, tropical subdeciduous, Quercus, Pinus-Quercus and Pinus forests at high elevations, and were lower in aquatic and secondary vegetation, gallery and tropical deciduous forest, grassland, and mangrove, at lower elevations, where humidity, temperature, and disturbance conditions were more stressful for these plants. In Nayarit, 26 families, 69 genera and 212 species of ferns and lycophytes are distributed; 19 species represented new state records, and four are considered at risk according to Mexican legislation, 17 in IUCN and one in the CITES lists. The most common growth habits were terrestrial (47%) and epipetric (33%); the distribution of most species is restricted to the Neotropics (35.85%) and Mesoamerica (25.47%). The completeness of the inventory (78-88%) suggests an adequate representation of the ferns and lycophytes richness in Nayarit.
We describe Polystichum peregrinum Barrington and A.R. Smith, a new neotropical species from p & aacute;ramos and similar plant communities, and diagnose it relative to two similar Andean species, P. orbiculatum and P. polyphyllum. The new species, previously documented as an allotetraploid uniting P. polyphyllum with P. sodiroi, has regular spores with spore lengths in the range expected of tetraploids in the genus. It is notable for its strikingly disjunct distribution including small, isolated populations in Costa Rica and Bolivia. We propose collections with irregular spores and traits shared with tetraploid P. peregrinum and diploid P. sodiroi as back-cross hybrids.
.-Culcita macrocarpa is an endangered fern species restricted to a very limited number of locations in the Ibero-Macaronesian region, which are susceptible to damage from both natural elements and human activities. Here, propagation through in vitro spore culture and subsequent ex vitro acclimatization of sporophytes is reported for the first time. Spores from three wild specimens (Cm1, Cm2 and Cm3) belonging to two different relictic populations of the NW of the Iberian Peninsula were used. Using the UNE#B culture medium supplemented with 3 g/L of sucrose, the spores germinated, and the fern's sexual cycle could be successfully completed. The percentage of spore germination was similar regardless of their origin, but the sexual phenotype sequences and frequencies of the gametophytes derived from Cm3 were significantly different with respect to those recorded in Cm1 and Cm2 that were similar to each other. Intraspecific variation in C. macrocarpa mating system was recorded. In all cases, after 19 months from the start of the spore culture, sporophytes acclimatized to ex situ conditions were obtained. The cryopreservation of C. macrocarpa spores was also performed for the first time, demonstrating the viability of cryopreserved spores and the utility of this technique for long term storage of spores of this species. Overall, our results provide new information about C. macrocarpa reproductive biology and present a methodology for propagation of this fern that enables new specimens suitable for in situ and ex situ conservation programs.
Phenological variation across latitude provides insight into plant biology and responses to climate. Botrypus virginianus (= Botrychium virginianum), a fern with a 135 degrees latitudinal range from northern Canada to southern Brazil, offers a rare opportunity to examine such responses within a single wide-ranging species. Using over 5,000 georeferenced occurrence records from herbarium specimens and citizen science observations, this study evaluates the timing of leaf observations across the species' range. In temperate North America, observations occur later in the year and with a narrower window as latitude increases, while in tropical and austral regions of the Americas leaves occur year-round. Timing of leaf occurrence correlates strongly with increasing day length and temperature and occurs after the accumulation of '400-700 growing degree days (GDD) across northern latitudes, suggesting that a conserved thermal threshold governs leaf development. This macrophenological approach reveals that while leaf occurrence varies geographically, the physiological requirement for thermal accumulation appears to remain stable, pointing to physiological conservatism in B. virginianus and offering predictive insight into the species' phenological response to climate change.
recent development of target-capture sequence bait sets and methods that allow for variant phasing with those data have provided a robust approach for testing hybrid origins. Hybridization and allopolyploidy are rife in the fern genus Polystic hum (Dryopteridaceae) as documented from an array of lineages in the genus from the north temperate and south temperate latitudes. Similar analyses for reticulate complexes in the tropics are few. Here, we test the utility of target-capture sequence data for resolving polyploid origins in Polystichum with accessions of the genus from the Andes and Central America. The goal was to test hypotheses for the progenitors of the Costa Rican tetraploid endemic P. talamancanum, with a focus on two Andean diploid species. The work presented in this study provides clarity on the identity of the two diploid progenitors of the allotetraploid Polystichum talamancanum: P. concinnum (endemic to Costa Rica and Panama) and P. polyphyllum (restricted to the northern Andes and northern portions of Peru). We suggest that the absence of P. talamancanum's Andean progenitor from the Cordillera de Talamanca, where both the tetraploid and its second progenitor P. concinnum occur, is best explained by the former presence of P. polyphyllum in the Cordillera in the Pleistocene and its subsequent extirpation with Holocene climate warming. The central Andean P. orbiculatum s.s. is resolved as sister to P. polyphyllum but rejected as a progenitor of P. talamancanum.
Little research has been done to determine market influences on the naturalization and invasion of ferns. A 2021 paper led by McCulloch-Jones identified four species of ornamental ferns of particular concern due to their potential to naturalize and invade, based primarily on their current high-level presence in the horticultural trade and their recent naturalization in a few countries. A 2021 survey of ferns in nature preserves and uncultivated situations in parks in the Atlanta Georgia region, USA, found all four species: Dryopteris erythrosora, Dryopteris cycadina, Polystichum polyblepharum, and Cyrtomium falcatum. Dryopteris erythrosora (autumn fern), recently documented to be naturalized in the southeastern USA, was found at 56/58 of the surveyed sites. At half of the sites (28/56) where the fern occurred, it was abundant and often the most common fern present. The long naturalized Cyrtomium falcatum (Japanese holly fern) was found at 15 surveyed sites. Polystichum polyblepharum (Japanese or Korean tassel fern), previously collected in the USA at single sites in Alabama and Georgia, was found at 9 sites. Dryopteris cycadina, previously collected in the USA at a single site in Georgia, was found at 6 sites. Attempts to learn when these ferns began to be marketed in North America were not successful due to their absence in historical nursery catalogues. All four were considered commonly available by 1994. The number of nurseries selling these ferns in North America in 2004 and internationally in 2021 were 31 and 55 for D. erythrosora, 27 and 35 for P. polyblepharum, 5 and 28 for C. falcatum, and 13 and 13 for D. cycadina. The degree of naturalization of these ferns detected on the surveys appears to be influenced by historical and contemporary levels of market intensity. In addition, all four ferns are polyploids and apomictic, biological characteristics that aid their colonization and spread after they have been introduced. The discovery of these ferns at so many sites suggests that they have probably naturalized elsewhere in North America.
Pellaea rotundifolia, endemic to New Zealand, is widely cultivated indoors as a container plant or exteriorly in garden plantings. This is a laboratory study of the photophysiology of container-grown P. rotundifolia maintained in a climate-controlled culture room. The specific leaf area (SLA) of P. rotundifolia was 224 +/- 32 cm(2)/g, stomatal density was 2,428 +/- 126 cm(-2), stomatal length was 51.90 +/- 0.43 mu m, stomatal width was 34.10 +/- 0.53 mu m, and leaf percent water was 71.83 +/- 2.37. The chlorophyll content index (CCI) based on leaf area was 36.86 +/- 5.88, maximum quantum yield of primary photochemistry (F-v/F-m) was 0.75 +/- 0.01, electron flux in PS II per reaction center (ET0/RC) was 1.07 +/- 0.03, and probability that an activated exciton produced in PS II, will pass to the intermediate quinone and beyond in the electron-transport chain ((o)) was 0.69 +/- 0.01. Mean maximum net photosynthesis rate expressed per unit area was c. 3.00 +/- 0.15 mu mol CO2 m(-2) s(-1), and per unit dry weight was 4.00 +/- 0.18 mu mol CO2 g(dw)(-1) min(-1). Mean dark respiration rate expressed per leaf area was 0.42 +/- 0.10 mu mol CO2 m(-2) s(-1), and per leaf dry weight was 0.61 +/- 0.16 mu mol CO2 g(dw)(-1) min(-1). Overall, the photophysiological data are consistent with prior data reported for other fern species growing in shade or low-light conditions.
