Grammitis suspensa (L.) Proctor

  • Authority

    Proctor, George R. 1989. Ferns of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 53: 1-389.

  • Family

    Polypodiaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Grammitis suspensa (L.) Proctor

  • Description

    Species Description - Rhizome curved-ascending to erect, at apex bearing a tuft of blackish-clathrate, iridescent, glabrous, narrowly lance-attenuate scales 2-3 mm long. Fronds often numerous, closely clustered, recurved-spreading or pendent, nearly exstipitate; blades linear or narrowly lance-linear, 10-32(-40) cm long, 0.7-2(-2.5) cm broad, deeply pinnatisect, narrowed-attenuate toward both ends; rhachis black, bearing scattered, very minute, pluricellular, often branched hairs abaxially, these 0.1 mm long or less, otherwise the entire frond glabrous; segments up to 100 pairs or more, oblong or deltate-oblong, 4-13 mm long, 2-4 mm broad at the adnate, strongly decurrent base, rounded, obtuse, or acutish at the apex, the margins entire or sometimes lightly sinuate, the sinuses acute; costae and veins concealed, the veins simple, each ending in a small adaxial hydathode about midway between costa and margin; tissue dark green, firmly membranous, opaque. Sori round, 2-8 pairs mainly toward distal end of segments, small, each growing from a deep pit in the tissue; sporangia glabrous.

  • Discussion

    Fig. 103.

    Basionym. Polypodium suspensum Linnaeus, Sp. pl. 2: 1084. 1753.

    Type. Plumier, Traite foug. Amer., t. 87, righthand fig., based on material from Morne de la Calebasse, Martinique.

    Syn. Polypodium jubaeforme Kaulfuss, Flora 6: 364. 1823. (Type. Kohaut, from Martinique, Sieber, flora martin, sect. 2, no. 353, isotype GH.)

    Polypodium saccatum Fee, Mem. foug. 5: 239. 1852. (Syntypes from Guadeloupe and Martinique, not seen.)

    Ctenopteris jubaeformis (Kaulfuss) J. Smith, Hist. fil. 184. 1875.

    Ctenopteris suspensa (Linnaeus) Copeland, Philipp. J. Sci. 84: 443. 1955 (1956), as to name only.

    Grammitis jubaeformis (Kaulfuss) Proctor, Rhodora 63: 35. 1961.

  • Distribution

    General Distribution. Greater and Lesser Antilles, Trinidad, and northem South America.

    West Indies| Colombia South America| Venezuela South America| Guyana South America| Suriname South America| French Guiana South America| Brazil South America|