Authority:

Proctor, George R. 1989. Ferns of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 53: 1-389.

Family:

Thelypteridaceae

Description:

Species Description - Rhizome erect or curved-ascending, 8-10 mm thick (excluding a mass of roots and the tightly investing stipe bases), bearing at apex a few brown, deltate-lanceolate, densely pubescent scales. Fronds clustered, erect or arching, up to 1.2 m long; stipes relatively very short (4-12 cm, but appearing longer because the proximal 5-11 pairs of pinnae are mostly reduced to mere knobs), densely but minutely grayish-puberulous throughout, and bearing a few scattered scales toward base. Blades lanceolate to lance-oblong, up to 110 cm long, 15-25(-35) cm broad below the middle, long-acuminate at apex, abmptly reduced downward; rhachis deeply channelled on adaxial side, densely short-pilose throughout, and also bearing a few scattered deciduous scales; longest pinnae linear-attenuate, falcate, 8-15 (-20) cm long, 0.9-2(-3) cm broad, sessile, each subtended at base by a small conic aerophore; costae and other vascular parts densely shortpilose, the hairs ascending; segments oblong-falcate, 2-4 mm broad at base, narrowed-acutish at apex, entire, the margins often more or less revolute; veins 7-12 pairs, usually prominulous on both sides; tissue firm, finely strigillose on adaxial side, beneath bearing numerous small erect uncinate or straight hairs. Sori small, supramedial; indusium absent except for a vestigial tuft of small hairs.

Discussion:

Fig. 57.

Basionym. Polypodium rude Kunze, Linnaea 13: 133. 1839.

Type. Schiede s.n., from Jalapa, Mexico (LZ, destroyed). Neotype. Otto 612, from Venezuela (B) (Proctor, 1985).

Syn. Glaphyropteris rudis (Kunze) K. Presl ex Fee, Crypt, vase. Bresil 2: 41. 1873.

Phegopteris rudis (Kunze) Mettenius, Fil, hort. bot. Lips. 83. 1856.

Phegopteris ctenoides Fee, Mem. foug. 11: 54, t. 14, fig. 2. 1866. (Type, de Tussac, from Hispaniola, RB.)

Polypodium ctenoides (Fee) Jenman, Bull. Bot. Dept. Jamaica n.s. 4: 129. 1897.

Nephrodium rude (Kunze) Diels in Engler & Prantl, Nat. Pflanzenfam, 1(4): 171. 1899.

Bryopteris rudis (Kunze) C. Christensen, Index filic. 289. 1905.

Lastrea rudis (Kunze) Copeland, Gen. fil. 140, 1947.

Amauropelta rudis (Kunze) Pichi Sermolli, Webbia 31: 251. 1977.

Distribution:

México Mexico North America| Amazonas Ecuador South America| Bolivia South America| Adjuntas Puerto Rico South America| Jayuya Puerto Rico South America| Orocovis Puerto Rico South America| Ponce Puerto Rico South America|