Monographs Details:
Authority:
Mickel, John T. & Beitel, Joseph M. 1988. Pteridophyte Flora of Oaxaca, Mexico. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 46: 1-580.
Mickel, John T. & Beitel, Joseph M. 1988. Pteridophyte Flora of Oaxaca, Mexico. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 46: 1-580.
Family:
Blechnaceae
Blechnaceae
Description:
Species Description - Rhizome long-creeping, climbing; rhizome scales bicolorous, linear-lanceolate, pale brown, with narrow, dark, central stripe, 7-12 mm long, 0.5-0.8 mm wide, falciform teeth (0.1-0.3 mm long) directed both acroscopically and basiscop-ically; fronds dimorphic, distant; stipe 7-15 cm long, 1/6-¼ the frond length, bicolorous, becoming stramineous, color often extending some distance up rachis, glabrous; sterile blade narrowly oblique to pinnatisect, 40-60 cm long, (2-)3.5-4.5(-8) cm wide, gradually reduced at base to auricles, apex pinnatifid to entire, acuminate, basal pinnae rarely distant; rachis bicolorous to concolorous, with scattered minute hairs less than 0.1 mm long; pinnae adnate, obliquely triangular to falcate, acute, adaxially glabrous with slightly grooved midrib same color as lamina, coriaceous; veins distinct, simple or once-forked, with enlarged vein endings visible abaxially; pinna margins entire; fertile pinnae (4-6(-9) cm long, 0.8-1 mm wide) equal to or longer than sterile ((1.5-3)3-4 cm long, 1 cm wide); indusia 1 mm wide, entire.
Species Description - Rhizome long-creeping, climbing; rhizome scales bicolorous, linear-lanceolate, pale brown, with narrow, dark, central stripe, 7-12 mm long, 0.5-0.8 mm wide, falciform teeth (0.1-0.3 mm long) directed both acroscopically and basiscop-ically; fronds dimorphic, distant; stipe 7-15 cm long, 1/6-¼ the frond length, bicolorous, becoming stramineous, color often extending some distance up rachis, glabrous; sterile blade narrowly oblique to pinnatisect, 40-60 cm long, (2-)3.5-4.5(-8) cm wide, gradually reduced at base to auricles, apex pinnatifid to entire, acuminate, basal pinnae rarely distant; rachis bicolorous to concolorous, with scattered minute hairs less than 0.1 mm long; pinnae adnate, obliquely triangular to falcate, acute, adaxially glabrous with slightly grooved midrib same color as lamina, coriaceous; veins distinct, simple or once-forked, with enlarged vein endings visible abaxially; pinna margins entire; fertile pinnae (4-6(-9) cm long, 0.8-1 mm wide) equal to or longer than sterile ((1.5-3)3-4 cm long, 1 cm wide); indusia 1 mm wide, entire.
Discussion:
Lomaría fragilis Liebmann, Mexic. bregn. 232 (seors. 80). 1849. Syntypes. Mexico. Veracruz: Barranca de Huitamalco, Liebmann [Pl. Mex. 2321, Fl. Mex. 269, 772, 773] (C!; isotype NY!), Baranca de Mirador, Liebmann [Pl. Mex. 2344, R. Mex. 774] (C!). Lectotype (chosen by A. R. Smith, 1981: 59): R. Mex. 773 (C!). Os munda polypodioides Swartz, Prodr. veg. ind. occ. 127. 1708. Blechnum onocleoides Swartz, J. Bot. (Schrader) 1800(2): 75. 1801, nom. illeg. Lomaria polypodioides (Swartz) Desvaux, Mém. Soc. Linn. Paris 6: 288. 1827, nom. illeg., non Gaudichaud, 1825. Lomaria onocleoides (Swartz) Sprengel, Syst. veg. ed. 4, 4: 62. 1827. Blechnum polypodioides (Swartz) Kuhn, Filie, afr. 92. 1858, nom. illeg., non Raddi, 1819. Type. Jamaica. Swartz s.n. (presumably S; isotype BM, photo NY!). Lomaría mexicana Fée, Mém. foug. 8: 70. 1857. Syntypes. Mexico. Galeotti 6465 (P?), Totutla, Mirador, Huatusco, Schajfner 100 (P?). The scandent rhizome with distant fronds, dimorphic fronds, rhizome scales with falciform teeth and abaxially enlarged vein endings will distinguish B. fragile and B. ensiforme from the other species of Blechnum in Oaxaca. The two species can be separated by the characters in the key. A collection (1090, Villa Alta) intermediate in blade width and pinnae length, with distant median pinnae, and abruptly reduced basal pinnae but blade relatively linear in form (75-85 cm long) has highly abortive spores and represents the hybrid combination B. ensiforme x fragile (Fig. 123B). A similar mature specimen (991), without fertile fronds to check spore abortion, is from the same area of Villa Alta. Several juvenile specimens (1442, 6561; Hellwig 345 (NY)) from Ixtlán may also represent this hybrid combination. Specimens (all NY) of this hybrid were seen from Veracruz (Ventura 9365), Honduras (Morton 7319), El Salvador (Seiler 1041), Costa Rica (Mickel 1946) and Panama (Croat 22663). The mature sterile pinnae are 8-8.5 cm long and the mature sterile blade is 8-18 cm wide. The B. fragile complex in the neotropics is in need of careful examination. Blechnum fragile from Central America has bicolorous rhizome scales as does some material corresponding to B. fragile from the West Indies, whereas other material (from Puerto Rico and Hispaniola especially) has concolorous scales. The relationship of this to B. binervatum (Poiret) Morton & Lellinger (=Blechnum plumieri (Desvaux) Diels) of the Lesser Antilles and South America, which has concolorous rhizome scales, distant pinnae, wider blade and abruptly reduced basal pinnae, requires clarification.
Lomaría fragilis Liebmann, Mexic. bregn. 232 (seors. 80). 1849. Syntypes. Mexico. Veracruz: Barranca de Huitamalco, Liebmann [Pl. Mex. 2321, Fl. Mex. 269, 772, 773] (C!; isotype NY!), Baranca de Mirador, Liebmann [Pl. Mex. 2344, R. Mex. 774] (C!). Lectotype (chosen by A. R. Smith, 1981: 59): R. Mex. 773 (C!). Os munda polypodioides Swartz, Prodr. veg. ind. occ. 127. 1708. Blechnum onocleoides Swartz, J. Bot. (Schrader) 1800(2): 75. 1801, nom. illeg. Lomaria polypodioides (Swartz) Desvaux, Mém. Soc. Linn. Paris 6: 288. 1827, nom. illeg., non Gaudichaud, 1825. Lomaria onocleoides (Swartz) Sprengel, Syst. veg. ed. 4, 4: 62. 1827. Blechnum polypodioides (Swartz) Kuhn, Filie, afr. 92. 1858, nom. illeg., non Raddi, 1819. Type. Jamaica. Swartz s.n. (presumably S; isotype BM, photo NY!). Lomaría mexicana Fée, Mém. foug. 8: 70. 1857. Syntypes. Mexico. Galeotti 6465 (P?), Totutla, Mirador, Huatusco, Schajfner 100 (P?). The scandent rhizome with distant fronds, dimorphic fronds, rhizome scales with falciform teeth and abaxially enlarged vein endings will distinguish B. fragile and B. ensiforme from the other species of Blechnum in Oaxaca. The two species can be separated by the characters in the key. A collection (1090, Villa Alta) intermediate in blade width and pinnae length, with distant median pinnae, and abruptly reduced basal pinnae but blade relatively linear in form (75-85 cm long) has highly abortive spores and represents the hybrid combination B. ensiforme x fragile (Fig. 123B). A similar mature specimen (991), without fertile fronds to check spore abortion, is from the same area of Villa Alta. Several juvenile specimens (1442, 6561; Hellwig 345 (NY)) from Ixtlán may also represent this hybrid combination. Specimens (all NY) of this hybrid were seen from Veracruz (Ventura 9365), Honduras (Morton 7319), El Salvador (Seiler 1041), Costa Rica (Mickel 1946) and Panama (Croat 22663). The mature sterile pinnae are 8-8.5 cm long and the mature sterile blade is 8-18 cm wide. The B. fragile complex in the neotropics is in need of careful examination. Blechnum fragile from Central America has bicolorous rhizome scales as does some material corresponding to B. fragile from the West Indies, whereas other material (from Puerto Rico and Hispaniola especially) has concolorous scales. The relationship of this to B. binervatum (Poiret) Morton & Lellinger (=Blechnum plumieri (Desvaux) Diels) of the Lesser Antilles and South America, which has concolorous rhizome scales, distant pinnae, wider blade and abruptly reduced basal pinnae, requires clarification.
Distribution:
Mexico North America| Colombia South America| Trinidad and Tobago South America| West Indies| Panama Central America| Guatemala Central America|
Mexico North America| Colombia South America| Trinidad and Tobago South America| West Indies| Panama Central America| Guatemala Central America|