Bolbitis portoricensis (Spreng.) Hennipman

  • Authority

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

  • Family

    Dryopteridaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Bolbitis portoricensis (Spreng.) Hennipman

  • Description

    Species Description - Rhizome short-creeping, 8-15(-20) mm diam.; rhizome scales reddish-brown, lanceolate-attenuate, to 10 mm long, 2 mm wide, entire; fronds dimorphic, 40-140 cm long, clumped; stipe 460 cm long, stramineous, sparsely scaly; sterile blade deltate-oblong, 15-80 cm long, 7-50 cm wide, long-acuminate, pinnate-pinnatifid, apex usually long-extended, naked, with proliferous buds along its length; lower pinnae stalked, unequally deltate, excavate, lower side exaggerated on basal pair, 3-6 pairs of free pinnae, 1-2 pairs of partly adnate pinnae, tapering to pinnatifid apex; other pinna pairs equilateral, pinnatifid, cut ca. l/3 the way to the midvein; veins netted, with included, partly 1-forked veinlets; fertile fronds with longer stipes but shorter height, once-pin-nate, pinna pairs ten, mostly with undulate margin except for basal pair more deeply lobed and basiscopically exaggerated; sori acrostichoid, sometimes along main veins.

  • Discussion

    Acrostichum portoricense Sprengel, Nova Acta Phys.-Med. Acad. Caes. Leop.-Carol. Nat. Cur. 10: 226. 1821. Gymnopteris portoricensis (Sprengel) Fée, Mém. foug. 2: 85. 1845. Type. Puerto Rico. Bertero s.n. (G; isotypes P, TO). Acrostichum cladorrhizans Sprengel, Nova Acta Phys.-Med. Acad. Caes. Leop.-Carol. Nat. Cur. 10: 225. 1821. Leptochilus cladorrhizans (Sprengel) Maxon, Pteridophyt. Porto Rico 460. 1926. Bolbitis cladorrhizans (Sprengel) Ching in Christensen, Index filic, suppl. 3: 47. 1934. Type. Puerto Rico. Bertero s.n. (G; isotypes P, TO). This is the most common of the Bolbitis species in Oaxaca; the flagelliform apex is characteristic of most fronds. It is most easily confused with B.aliena, the only other species in Mexico with a pinnatifid apex, but the numerous free included veins will distinguish it from that species.

  • Distribution

    Terrestrial in wet forests at low and middle elevations; Choapan, Ixtlán, Juchi-tán, Juquila, Pochutla, Tuxtepec, Villa Alta; 50850 m. Mexico (Jal, Mich, Gro, Ver, Oax, Chis, Tab); Guat to Pan; WI, Trin; Ven, Col, Ec.

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