Monographs Details:
Authority:

Mickel, John T. & Beitel, Joseph M. 1988. Pteridophyte Flora of Oaxaca, Mexico. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 46: 1-580.
Family:

Lygodiaceae
Scientific Name:

Lygodium venustum Sw.
Description:

Species Description - Rhizome short-creeping, 1-2 mm diam., hairs brown; stipe and rachis stramineous, wiry, twining, indeterminate, climbing; axes glabrescent to densely hairy with short stiff hairs; pinna axis very short, apex dormant, producing two lateral pinnules; pinnule axis pinnate, the segments alternating, each segment trifid to quinquifid, the central lobe much the largest, 3-10 cm long, 0.5-1.4 cm wide, margin finely serrulate; veins free, sparsely strigose (0.5 mm long, whitish hairs) to densely hairy; fertile lobes ca. 1 mm wide with two rows of sporangia, each sporangium covered with a yellow, pocket-like indusium, with many long (0.5 mm) white hairs.

Discussion:

Lectotype (chosen by Proctor, FI. L. Antill. 2: 51. 1977). Brazil. Breynius s.n. (S?). Syntypes from Brazil & Surinam. Figs. 17H, J. Lygodium mexicanum Presl, Reliq. haenk. 1:72. 1825. Type. Mexico. Haenke s.n. (PRC?). Lygodium venustum is easily distinguished from L. heterodoxum by its free veins, pubescent lamina and the palmately 3-5-parted pinnules. An abortive-spored hybrid of L. heterodoxum and L. venustum was collected in Oaxaca (Dist. Juchitán, Isthmus of Tehuantepec, 58 km N of Matías Romero, exposed roadside banks, 100 m, Mickel 4179) with some free and some net veins, fertile lobes with associated whitish hairs, pinnules of intermediate width (11-14 mm wide), pinnule axes flexuous, and inequilaterally 2-4 palmately lobed pinnules.
Distribution:

Mexico North America| Paraguay South America| Brazil South America| Bolivia South America| Suriname South America| Colombia South America| Trinidad and Tobago South America| Panama Central America| Guatemala Central America|