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, 5-10 mm thick (excluding stipe bases), at apex bearing a tuft of dark brown, glabrous, lance-linear scales 3-5 mm long. Fronds erect, mostly 40-120 cm long; stipes very short (mostly 2-8 cm), dark brown at base and clothed in proximal part with rather numerous light brown, lance- to ovate-attenuate scales somewhat larger than those of rhizome apex. Blades lance-oblong or lanceolate, 10-40 cm broad below the middle, acuminate at apex, long-tapering downward with many reduced pinnae, the lowermost vestigial; rhachis and costae strigillose on adaxial side, minutely stipitate-glandular beneath, the costae often subtended at base by small brown aerophores; pinnae oblong-lanceolate with attenuate apex, usually at right angles to rhachis, sessile and deeply pinnatifid; segments linear or ligulate, ciliate; veins simple, less than 12 pairs only in unusually small fertile plants. Sori small, supramedial, often partly concealed by the revolute margins; indusium small, glandular, persistent.

Discussion:

Basionym. Polypodium balbisii Sprengel, Nova Acta Phys.-Med. Acad. Caes, Leop.-Carol. Nat. Cur. 10:228. 1821.

Neotype, W . H. & B. T. Hodge 1203, from D o m inica (GH) (Proctor, 1977).

Syn. Aspidium sprengelii Kaulfuss, Rora 6: 365. 1823. (Type. Same as for Polypodium balbisii Sprengel) Lastrea sprengelii (Kaulfuss) K. Presl, Tent, pterid. 75. 1836.

Nephrodium sprengelii (Kaulfuss) Hooker, Sp. fil. 4:94. 1862.

Aspidium balbisii (Sprengel) Kuhn, J. Bot. 15:231. 1877.

Nephrodium sherringii Jenman, J. Bot. 17: 261, 1879. (Type. Jenman I, in 1879, from Jamaica, K.)

Bryopteris sprengelii (Kjauifass) Kuntze, Revis. gen. pl. 2: 813, 1891.

Bryopteris balbisii (Sprengel) Urban, Symb, Antill. 4: 14. 1903.

Bryopteris sprengelii var. sherringii (Jenman) C. Christensen, Kongel. Danske Vidensk. Selsk, Naturvidensk. Math. Afti. ser. 4, 10(2): 126. 145. 1913.

Thelypteris sprengelii (Kaulfuss) Proctor, Bull. Inst. Jamaica Sci. ser. 5: 65. 1953.

Distribution:

West Indies| Central America| Brazil South America| French Guiana South America| Suriname South America| Guyana South America| Venezuela South America| Colombia South America|