Athyrium

• Authority

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

• Family

  Athyriaceae

• Scientific Name

  Athyrium

• Description

  Genus Description - Terrestrial; rhizome short-creeping or erect, scaly; fronds medium-sized, erect; stipe stramineous to red, sparsely scaly to glabrous; blade once-pinnate to bipinnate-pinnatifid, deltate to linear-lanceolate, lamina thin, glabrous, veins free, ending short of margin; sori elongate along veins, oblong to lunate or hooked over the vein (hamate) to equally extended on both sides of a single vein, indusiate; spores bilateral, with perispore.

• Discussion

  Lectotype (chosen by J. Smith?, Hist. fil. 327. 1875): Athyrium filix-femina (Linnaeus) Roth [=Polypodium filix-femina Linnaeus]. (See Pichi Sermolli, Webbia 8: 437-442. 1952, for discussion of place of publication of Roth’s names.) Athyrium is a genus of about 100 species, mostly of eastern Asia. Most species occur in temperate climates or high elevations of tropical regions. Athyrium is distinguished by the sori elongate along the veins with the indusium often acroscopically hooking over the vein. Most workers today keep Diplazium distinct from Athyrium, based on the different chromosome number, tropical distribution, and generally heavier texture of Diplazium. Athyrium filix-femina is considered cosmopolitan, but has not been well-studied. Two species of this alliance occur in Oaxaca, plus A. skinneri and A. palmense, which have creeping rhizomes, thinner texture and occur at lower elevations.