Vittaria

  • Authority

    Maguire, Bassett. 1972. The botany of the Guayana Highland--part IX. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 23: 1-832.

  • Family

    Pteridaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Vittaria

  • Description

    Species Description - Rhizomes erect or short-creeping, often multicipital, densely scaly; stipes short and blackish to obsolete; fronds thin to coriaceous, usually lax, rarely more than 3 dm long, 1.5—10(—13) mm wide, the laminae nearly linear, entire, the veins forming a single row of polygonal areoles on each side of the midrib; sori fairly superficial (in subg Radiovittaria) or immersed in a deep groove (in subg Vittaria); paraphyses present, bell-shaped at apex (in subg Radiovittaria), or merely linear to slightly clavate (in subg Vittaria); spores monolete or trilete.

  • Discussion

    Haplopteris Presl, Tent. Pterid. 141, t. 5, f. 21. 1836. Type species. H. scolopendrina (Bory) Presl [= Vittaria scolopendrina (Bory) Thwaites].

    Taeniopsis J. Smith, Jour. Bot. Hook. 4: 67. 1841, nom. superfl. Included the type of Vittaria and other species.

    Taeniopteris Hook., Gen. Fil. t. 67B. 1842, non Taeniopteris Brongn., 1828, nom. cons. Type species. T. jorbesii Hook. [= Vittaria scolopendrina (Bory) Thwaites]

    Oetosis Necker ex Greene, Pittonia 4: 105. 1900, non Kuntze, 1891. An illegitimate later homonym.

    Type. Pteris lineata L. [= V. lineata (L.) Swartz].

  • Distribution

    Distribution. A dozen species in tropical America plus up to about 60 more in the Old World tropics.