Melpomene
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Authority
Lehnert, Marcus. 2013. Grammitid ferns (Polypodiaceae). II.
. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 112: 1--121. (Published by NYBG Press) -
Family
Polypodiaceae
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Scientific Name
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Type
Type. Polypodium moniliforme Lag. ex Sw. (= Melpomene moniliformis (Lag. ex Sw.) A. R. Sm. & R. C. Moran).
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Description
Genus Description - Plants perennial; epiphytic, epilithic, or terrestrial. Rhizomes (0.6-)0.8-2.0(-2.5) mm diam., erect to decumbent, compact to short and unbranched, or horizontally creeping to ascending, short to long and often regularly branching, solenostelic, dorsiventral with the fronds originating alternately and dorsally (upper Vi), the roots inserted ventrally (lower Vi). Roots black to dark castaneous, crowded in the posterior parts of erect rhizomes, evenly distributed along horizontally creeping rhizomes, with many root hairs to 1.0 mm long. Rhizome scales 1.0-7.5 x 0.4-2.8 mm, very narrowly lanceate to broadly lanceate or ovate-lanceate, (8-) 10-40(-64) cells wide across the cordate to pseudo-peltate bases, apices acute to attenuate, usually only 1-2 cells wide (M. caput-gorgonis with scale apices 3-4 cells wide) before ending in a single cell or in simple to branched clavate hairs, these hyaline, ephemeral, and presumably glandular; scale margins entire, without ciliae, but sometimes with clavate cells or simple clavate hairs similar to those on the scale apices; scales clathrate, weakly to strongly iridescent, cell walls auburn, brown, castaneous, or blackish, in some species cell lumina occluded by thick cell walls and then central parts of the scales not clathrate. Crosiers densely packed with hyaline, yellowish to pale reddish brown, simple and branched, clavate hairs, 0.2-0.6 mm long, similar to cells on the scale apices. Fronds 1.3—35(—52) cm long, stiffly erect or pendent, straight to arching, rarely laxly pendent. Petioles (2-)5-95 mm long, 0.4-1.5 mm thick, dark brown to black, terete, marginate (laminar strand 1 cell-row wide), or alate (laminar strand several cell-rows wide), glabrous or glabrescent to densely and persistently hairy with brown to castaneous, pluricellular, acicular or ciliform to setiform hairs (= setae), and with many hyaline, yellowish to pale reddish brown, simple and branched, clavate hairs, the latter ephemeral to persistent, giving a greasy feel to young petioles. Laminae pinnatisect to pinnatifid; bases long-decurrent to broadly truncate, mostly