Pleopodium tricholepis Mickel & Beitel
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Authority
Mickel, John T. & Beitel, Joseph M. 1988. Pteridophyte Flora of Oaxaca, Mexico. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 46: 1-580.
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Family
Polypodiaceae
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Scientific Name
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Description
Species Description - Rhizome creeping, 1.5-2 mm diam.; scales deeply fimbriate, dimorphic, on rhizome 1.5-2 mm long, bicolorous, center brown-black, margin narrow, pale brown, occasionally with long brown hairs from central point, at base of stipe 2-3 mm long, pale brown with or without short dark central streak; fronds distant to nearly clumped; stipe ca. ½ the frond length, castaneous to atropurpureous, with scales bicolorous, reddish-brown, margin pale brown, laciniate margin, round (0.5-0.8 mm wide) to lanceolate (1.52 mm long); blade irregularly pinnatisect, 16-18 cm long, 5-6 cm wide, broadest at base; pinnae or lobes 4-6 pairs, 5-7 mm wide, upper surface with scattered to dense, deeply fimbriate scales, mostly lanceolate (1.0-1.5 mm long), some round (0.8-1.0 mm wide), with brown center grading to whitish margin, midrib dark with lanceolate scales, 1.5-2 mm long, upper surface with sparse, deeply lacerate, lanceolate scales; sori round to slightly ovate, surrounded by laminar scales, soral scales rare, peltate to cordate, lanceolate, 0.8 mm long with pale brown point of attachment and lighter brown fimbriate margin; spores abortive.
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Discussion
Type. Mexico. Oaxaca: Dist. Etla-Cuicatlán, 39 km N of Rte 190 past Telixtlahuaca, mixed oak-juniper forest along stream banks, 6200' [1890 m], 8 Oct 1969, Mickel 3873 (NY!; isotype UC!). This specimen, exhibiting hybrid characters of abortive spores and irregular blade lobes, appears to represent a hybrid between the pinnati-sect species Polypodium thyssanolepis and a simple-bladed species of Pleopeltis. Although P. conzattii was the only species of Pleopeltis found at the same locality, the presence of round scales and the absence of black-centered rachis scales makes that species unlikely as a possible parent. The few soral scales are not strongly and deeply bicolorous as one would expect in hybrids involving Pleopeltis astrolepis, P. crassinervata, P. interjecta, and P. polylepis. Pleopeltis mexicana, with lightly colored soral scales, long stipe, and occasional tufts of long hair on the rhizome scales, is probably the other parent.
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Distribution
Epiphytic in oak-juniper woods. Known only from the type collection.
Mexico North America|