Asplenium pteropus Kaulf.
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Authority
Proctor, George R. 1989. Ferns of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 53: 1-389.
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Family
Aspleniaceae
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Scientific Name
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Description
Species Description - Rhizome erect, 5-7 mm thick, the apex bearing a tuft of stiflf, blackish-brown, densely clathrate, lance-attenuate scales 5-7 mm long. Fronds ascending to erect, glabrous, 30-60 cm long; stipes much shorter than the blades, broadly green winged, the wings 0.5-1 mm wide. Blades linear or narrowly elliptic-linear, 4-7.5 cm broad near the middle, acuminate at apex, somewhat narrowed toward base, the lower several pairs of reduced pinnae often widely separated; rhachis brown and narrowly green-winged, the wings 0.3-0.7 mm wide; pinnae spreading or slightly deflexed, mostly 27-37 pairs, more or less deltateoblong from a strongly inequilateral base, sessile, 6-10 mm broad at base, obtuse to acute at apex, the margins crenate-dentate; veins oblique, simple except for the basal acroscopic ones; tissue light to dark green, thinly herbaceous. Sori inframedial, 2-5 mm long; indusium very delicately membranous, nearly transparent, with entire margin, soon withering.
Distribution and Ecology - General Distribution. Greater and Lesser Antilles, Trinidad, and continental tropical America from southem Mexico to Brazil and Bolivia. Distribution in Puerto Rico. Occurs only in the Cordillera Central; recorded from Adjuntas, Jayuya, Orocovis, and Ponce. Habitat. Tenestrial in shaded humus, and sometimes on mossy tree-trunks, at high elevations (950-1300 m), rare or infrequent.
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Discussion
Fig. 65
Type. Chamisso, from Brazil (not seen).
Syn. Asplenium lunulatum var. pteropus (Kaulfuss) Sodiro, Anales Univ. Centr. Ecuador 8:276.1893.