Thelypteris kunthii (Desv.) C.V.Morton

  • Authority

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

  • Family

    Thelypteridaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Thelypteris kunthii (Desv.) C.V.Morton

  • Description

    Species Description - Rhizome short- to long-creeping; stipe (5-)20-80 cm long, (1-)3-6 mm diam., with basal scales castaneous, shining, lanceolate, hairy; rachis pubescent and often stipitate-glandular, usually without scales; lamina herbaceous to chartaceous, (9-)30-6 5(-80) cm long, tapering evenly to the pinnatifid apex; largest pinnae basal or subbasal, (2-)8-15(-20) cm long, (0.6-)0.9-2.5 cm wide, incised 0.6-0.9 to costa, without pronounced basal auricle, or infrequently with auricles weakly developed; segments oblique, straight or subfalcate, rounded or acute at tip; veins (3-)6-11 pairs per segment, the basal pair from adjacent segments running to or near the sinus; scales absent on costae below; costae, costules, and veins pubescent above and below, the hairs mostly 0.2-0.5 mm long, dense or relatively sparse, those of the costae above stouter, to 0.8 mm long; leaf tissue above usually lacking hairs, below hairy; light yellowish stipitate glands often present on leaf tissue and veins above and below; indusia sparsely to densely hairy, hairs 0.2-0.4 mm long; n = 72.

  • Discussion

    Nephrodium kunthii Desvaux, Mém. Soc. Linn. Paris 6: 258. 1827. Lectotype (designated by Morton, op. cit.). [Venezuela.] Cumanacoa, Caripe, Humboldt & Bonpland s.n. (P-Humb.!). Dryopteris normalis Christensen, Dansk Bot. Ark. 9(11): 31. 1910. Thelypteris normalis (Christensen) Moxley, Bull. S. Calif. Acad. Sci. 19: 57. 1920. Lectotype (chosen by A. R. Smith, 1971: 78). Jamaica. Jenman s.n. (NY!). More complete synonymy cited in A. R. Smith (1971), under T. normalis. Thelypteris kunthii is distinguished from T. hispidula by having the lowermost veins running to the sinus. From T. patens, it differs by having a creeping rhizome. Other close relatives (T. ovata, T. puberula) differ in having costules and veins glabrous above. Generally, this species grows at lower elevations than its close relative T. puberula.

  • Distribution

    In woods, often along streams and trails; Ixtlán, Juquila, Mixe, Pochutla, Putla; 450-1600 m. Mexico (Tam, SLP, Ver, Oax, Chis, Camp, Yuc, QR); se US; Guat to Pan; Bahamas, WI; Ven, Col, n Braz.

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