Mickel, John T. & Smith, Alan R. 2004. The pteridophytes of Mexico. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 88: 1-1054.
Polypodiaceae
Species Description - Rhizomes greenish, long-creeping, 1–2.5 mm diam., twining (the plants vine-like), not pruinose; rhizome scales sparse, dark brown, concolorous, linear-lanceolate to subulate, 2–3 x 0.4–1 mm, clathrate, the cells elongate, at least twice as long as wide, lacking differentiated margins; fronds 18–40 cm long, distant (to 20 mm apart); stipes 1–2(–3) cm long, less than 1/8 the blade length; blades herbaceous to chartaceous, narrowly elliptic, 2– 4(–5.5) cm wide, tapering gradually on both sides of the middle, proximally nearly to the rhizome, bases attenuate, apices acuminate; lime dots absent adaxially; areoles 5–8 rows between midribs and margins, 1.5–2 times broader than long, excurrent veinlets usually 2 per primary areole, free, not partitioning the areoles; main lateral veins prominent, straight to slightly flexuous, secondary veins regularly anastomosing; sori 5–8-seriate between midribs and blade margins, in two regular rows between main lateral veins, two per primary areole.
Polypodium serpentinum Christ, Bull. Herb. Boissier, se´r. 2, 6: 51. 1906. Type. Costa Rica. Navarro, Werckle´ s.n. (P, photo BM).
Leo´n (1992, and in Davidse et al., 1995) treated this taxon under the name C. fasciale, which is here regarded as a synonym of C. repens (see above). Campyloneurum serpentinum is indeed very closely related to C. repens and differs from that by having narrower blades that are gradually reduced at both distal and proximal ends; also, the rhizome scales of C. serpentinum are undifferentiated at the margins, contrasting with differentiated margins in C. repens. Leo´n (1992, and in Davidse et al., 1995) further utilized cell shape in the scales, as a distinguishing feature: the central cells in scales of C. repens were said to be 1–2 times longer than broad (vs. 3–4 times longer than broad in C. serpentinum); we are unable to apply this difference to specimens we have studied, and in fact the character is often difficult to assess because there are so few scales on the rhizome in C. serpentinum. Some specimens here regarded as C. serpentinum were cited as C. repens by Leo´n, e.g., Cruden 1113 (UC), Mickel 6374 (NY, UC), from Oaxaca; Mickel and Beitel (1988) cited Herna ´ndez 1391 and 1465, as well as Mickel 6374 from Oaxaca under C. repens, but Herna´ndez 1465 was cited as C. serpentinum by Leo´n. A few collections from Chiapas seem somewhat intermediate between the two species, and are difficult to place. Specimens cited as C. occultum (Christ) L. D. Go´mez [=C. aphanophlebium (Kunze) T. Moore] by Smith (1981) for Chiapas are C. serpentinum vel aff., differing primarily in the more obscure main lateral veins and also the quite obscure connecting veins; it is quite possible that these specimens (Breedlove 26527, 35385, DS; also Breedlove 48384, CAS) represent an undescribed species or distinct variety. Campyloneurum serpentinum appears to be much more common in southern Mexico (21 collections seen) than is C. repens (three collections seen), which is known only from Chiapas.
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