Niphidium

• Authority

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

• Family

  Polypodiaceae

• Scientific Name

  Niphidium

• Description

  Genus Description - Epiphytic or terrestrial; rhizome short- to long-creeping; rhizome scales concolorous to bicolorous, clathrate, attached near base or peltate, surface glabrous, margin entire (in ours) to toothed; fronds simple, approximate to distant, monomorphic, stipitate, narrowly lanceolate to oblong, attenuate at apex and base, articulate, margin entire; phyllopodia obsolete to 1 cm long; blade coriaceous, often glaucous, glabrous, sometimes with a few scales along the midrib (in ours); venation areolate, inconspicuous transverse areoles with minor areoles containing free veins; sori round to slightly oblong, exindusiate, paraphyses (abortive sporangia) present (in ours) or not, apparently at the junction of veins (actually veins forming an irregular ring beneath the sorus), solitary in major areoles, usually in one row between main lateral veins; sporangia with multicellular paraphyses (in ours) or glabrous; spores bilateral, smooth.

• Discussion

  Type: Niphidium americanum (Hooker) J. Smith [=Polypodium americanum Hooker, =Niphidium longifolium (Cavanilles) Morton & Lellinger]. Anaxetum Schott, Gen. fil., t. 1. 1834, nom. illeg., non Anaxeton Gaertner, 1791 (Asteraceae). Pessopteris Underwood & Maxon, Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 10: 485. 1908. Type: Anaxetum crassifolium (Linnaeus) Schott [=Polypodium crassifolium Linnaeus, =Niphidium crassifolium (Linnaeus) Lellinger]. Pleuridium (Presl) Fée, Mém. foug. 5: 273. 1852, nom. illeg., non Bridel, 1819 (Musci, Ditrichaceae). Phymatodes section Pleuridium Presl, Tent, pterid. 196. 1836. Type: Phymatodes (sect. Pleuridium) crassifolia (Linnaeus) Presl [chosen by J. Smith, Hist. fil. 94. 1875] [=Polypodium crassifolium Linnaeus, =Pleuridium crassifolium (Linnaeus) Fée, =Niphidium crassifolium (Linnaeus) Lellinger]. Niphidium is an isolated genus of ten species within the polypodioid ferns, exclusively found in the New World tropics. Most species have restricted ranges in South America; one species occurs in Mexico. Lellinger (1972) in his monograph united Niphidium and Pessopteris. The genus is distinct by the large, straplike fronds with a single row of large, round sori between the major veins and intricate venation with multiple veins to each sorus. Reference: Lellinger, D. B. 1972 [1973]. A revision of the fern genus Niphidium. Amer. Fern J. 62: 101— 120.