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Family:

Dryopteridaceae (Pteridophyta)

Primary Citation:

Brenesia 68: 18, Fig. 2. 2007

Accepted Name:

This name is currently accepted.

Description:

by: R.C. Moran, J. Prado

Type: Costa Rica. Puntarenas: Cantón de Coto Brus, Cuenca Térraba-Sierpe, Estación Pittier, Sendero Río Canasta, 9º01'32"N, 82º57'45"W, 1670 m, 26 Nov 1997, A. Rodríguez & L. Vargas 2807 (Holotype: CR; Isotypes: INB, NY).

Description: Rhizomes erect; leaves up to 1.2 m long; scales of the petiole bases 10-20 × ca. 1.0 mm, linear, spreading, brown, shiny, sparsely denticulate on the margins; laminae up to 0.8 m long, 3-pinnate-pinnatifid at base (2-pinnate-pinnatifid in Mexican plants), 2-pinnate-pinnatifid medially; basal pinnae 15-20 cm long, strongly inequilateral (elongated basiscopically); pinna rachises abaxially non-glandular (both stipitate and sessile glands lacking), densely pilose, scaly, the scales 1.0-1.5 × ca. 0.2 mm, linear-lanceolate, non-bullate, spreading, shiny brown, entire, adaxially densely pilose, 1.0-1.5 mm long, 4-7-celled, more sparsely scaly; costules abaxially densely to sparsely pilose, hairs 0.3-0.7 mm long, 3-5-celled, spreading to slightly strigose, adaxially scales absent, the hairs 0.8-1.5 mm long, 3-7-celled; laminar tissue between the veins abaxially non-glandular, sparsely pilose to subglabrous, the hairs 0.2-0.3 mm long, 2- or 3-celled, erect, acicular, adaxially glabrous; veins visible on both surfaces, non-glandular, sparsely pilose, the hairs like those of the costules; hydathodes evident; lamina margins pilose, the hairs 0.3-0.4(-0.8) mm long, 1-3(-6)-celled, spreading to ascending, non-glandular; indusia minute, fugacious, apparently consisting of a cluster of reddish proscales, ca. 0.1 mm long, protruding from the center of the sorus.

Distribution: Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama; cloud forests, 300-2500 m.

Comments: Megalastrum longipilosum is characterized by pinna rachises abaxially sparsely pilose and costules and veins adaxially long-pubescent (the hairs typically 0.8-1.5 mm long, 3-7-celled). The laminar tissue between the veins is nearly glabrous to sparsely pilose. Megalastrum galeottii is similar in size and lamina cutting but differs by pinna rachises glabrous abaxially, shorter hairs adaxially on the laminae, and (in most specimens) the presence between the veins abaxially of minute (ca. 0.1-0.2 mm long) acicular, erect hairs. Also similar to M. longipilosum is M. costipubens, which can be distinguished by the pubescence characters given in they key. Several specimens of Megalastrum longipilosum from the Fila Costeña of Costa Rica (Lellinger 833, Evans & Bowers 3082) are atypical by laminae densely pilose on both surfaces. The hairs are extremely long (1-3 mm) and many-celled (7-12-celled). We interpret as part of the variation within the species because no other characteristic appears to correlate. The two Mexican specimens of M. longipilosum seem typical in pubescence characteristics; however, they differ from Costa Rican and Panamanian plants by smaller leaves, laminae only 2-pinnate-pinnatisect at the base and minutely glandular abaxially.