Anemia familiaris Mickel

  • Authority

    Mickel, John T. & Smith, Alan R. 2004. The pteridophytes of Mexico. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 88: 1-1054.

  • Family

    Anemiaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Anemia familiaris Mickel

  • Description

    Species Description - Rhizomes horizontal, compact, short-creeping, 5–6 mm diam.; rhizome hairs orange; fronds erect, 7–14 cm long; stipes 1/3–1/2 the frond length, 0.3–0.7 mm diam., stramineous, subglabrous to very lightly hairy; blades narrowly oblong, 1-pinnate, 2.5–3.2 cm wide, chartaceous; pinnae 3–5(–7) pairs, mostly opposite, cuneate-obovate to rhomboid or subflabellate, often excavate on basiscopic margin, 1.1–1.8 cm x 6–10 mm, eroseserrulate, glabrous; veins free; fertile fronds similar in size and form to sterile, or slightly longer-stiped; fertile pinnae approximate to the sterile pinnae, shorter than or equal to the sterile blades in height; spores with smooth, narrow, spaced ridges.

  • Discussion

    Type. Mexico. Oaxaca: Distrito Juchita´n, 14 km E of Tapanatepec on Rte 190, 6 km W of Chiapas border, Mickel 5984 (NY!).

    This species is closely allied to A. hirsuta but has short fertile pinnae and only erose-serrulate, glabrous, sterile pinnae. These characters suggest an affinity to A. affinis of western Mexico, but the shorter fertile pinnae and small size of A. familiaris are distinctive. Anemia familiaris also resembles A. obovata (Underw.) Maxon of Cuba, which has glabrous, entire pinnae. However, the latter has only 2–4 pinna pairs that are broader, more obovate to oblong, and with pinna bases that are not as narrowly cuneate. An odd specimen from Jalisco (Gonza´lez 368, MICH) closely resembles A. familiaris, but is probably a dwarf specimen (7–10 cm) of A. affinis.