Monographs Details:
Authority:
Proctor, George R. 1989. Ferns of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 53: 1-389.
Proctor, George R. 1989. Ferns of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 53: 1-389.
Family:
Pteridaceae
Pteridaceae
Description:
Species Description - Rhizome woody, decumbent to erect, 3-8 cm long, 1-2 cm thick, clothed at apex with deep yellow-brown, lustrous, narrowly lance-attenuate scales up to 10 mm long, the apex hairlike and curved. Fronds rigidly spreading, 25-150 cm long; stipes lustrous dark purple-brown, very stiflf, often nearly as long as the blades, usually clothed at base with scales like those of rhizome. Blades deltate-elongate, 15-90 cm long, 7-55 cm broad at the base, acuminate at apex, 1-pinnate-pinnatifid to 2-pinnate-pinnatifid (rarely almost 3-pinnate); pinnae adjacent or distant, narrowly deltate-elongate, the lowest ones in large plants to 30 cm long and 9 cm broad; pinnules or segments distant, spreading, free or adnate, oblong to oblong-linear, usually rounded-obtuse or acutish, entire or lightly crenate toward base, or in large specimens deeply pinnatifid; tissue coriaceous, opaque dark green adaxially, densely white-powdery beneath. Sporangia numerous, becoming conffuent.
Distribution and Ecology - General Distribution. Greater Antilles; continental tropical America from Mexico south to Brazil and Bolivia; Galapagos Islands. Distribution in Puerto Rico. Apparently limited to mountainous areas in the westem half of the island; recorded from Juana Diaz, Maricao, Ponce and Yauco. Habitat. Open rocky non-calcareous slopes and banks at middle to high elevations (430-1300 m), locally common.
Species Description - Rhizome woody, decumbent to erect, 3-8 cm long, 1-2 cm thick, clothed at apex with deep yellow-brown, lustrous, narrowly lance-attenuate scales up to 10 mm long, the apex hairlike and curved. Fronds rigidly spreading, 25-150 cm long; stipes lustrous dark purple-brown, very stiflf, often nearly as long as the blades, usually clothed at base with scales like those of rhizome. Blades deltate-elongate, 15-90 cm long, 7-55 cm broad at the base, acuminate at apex, 1-pinnate-pinnatifid to 2-pinnate-pinnatifid (rarely almost 3-pinnate); pinnae adjacent or distant, narrowly deltate-elongate, the lowest ones in large plants to 30 cm long and 9 cm broad; pinnules or segments distant, spreading, free or adnate, oblong to oblong-linear, usually rounded-obtuse or acutish, entire or lightly crenate toward base, or in large specimens deeply pinnatifid; tissue coriaceous, opaque dark green adaxially, densely white-powdery beneath. Sporangia numerous, becoming conffuent.
Distribution and Ecology - General Distribution. Greater Antilles; continental tropical America from Mexico south to Brazil and Bolivia; Galapagos Islands. Distribution in Puerto Rico. Apparently limited to mountainous areas in the westem half of the island; recorded from Juana Diaz, Maricao, Ponce and Yauco. Habitat. Open rocky non-calcareous slopes and banks at middle to high elevations (430-1300 m), locally common.
Discussion:
Basionym. Acrostichum ebeneum Linnaeus, Sp. pl. 2: 1071. 1753 (excl. ref. Sloane).
Lectotype. LINN 1245.14, from an unknown locality, perhaps Jamaica (selected by Proctor, 1965).
Syn. Acrostichum tartareum Cavanilles, Descr. pl. 242. 1802. (Type from Pem, MA, not seen.)
Gymnogramma tartarea (Cavanilles) Desvaux, Ges. Naturf Freunde Beriin Mag. 5: 305. 1811.
Ceropteris tartarea (Cavanilles) Link, Fil. spec. 142. 1841.
Neurogramma tartarea (Cavanilles) Diels in Engler & Prantl, Nat. Pflanzenfam, 1(4): 264. 1899.
Pityrogramma tartarea (Cavanilles) Maxon, Contr, U,S, Natl. Herb. 17: 173. 1913.