Polypodiaceae

Polypodiaceae Berchtold & J. Presl, Přir. Rostlin. 1 (1820) 272; Ching, Sunyatsenia 5 (1940) 257; Copel., Gen. Fil. (1947) 174; Holttum, Revis. Fl. Malaya 2 (1955) 129; Copel., Fern Fl. Philipp. (1960) 453; Hennipman et al. in Kramer & Green, Fam. & Genera Vase. PI. 1 (1990) 203. — Type genus: Platyceriaceae Polypodium. Ching, Sunyatsenia 5 (1940) 256. — Type genus: Drynariaceae Platycerium. Ching, Acta Phytotax. Sin. 16 (1978) 1. — Type genus: Drynaria. Rhizome creeping, dorsiventral, with two alternating dorsal rows ofphyllopods and two alternating lateral rows of buds; scales basifixed, pseudopeltate to peltate, clathrate or isotoechous, margin entire to ciliate. Anatomy: ground tissue parenchymatous or rarely sclerenchymatous, with or without strands of sclerified cells, stele dictyostelic, composed of 3—many vascular strands, with or without a sclerified circumvascular sheath. Fronds often dimorphic, articulated to the phyllopods, sessile to stipitate, erect or appressed, simple to pinnate, pedately or dichotomously divided, rarely bipinnatifid, often covered with deciduous or persistent scales or hairs. Veins forked, free (rarely) to copiously branched and anastomosing. Fertile areas often contracted, frequently on separate fronds. Sori exindusiate, rounded, transversely or longitudinally elongated or forming irregular acrostichoid patches, sporangia short- to long-stalked, capsule with vertical, interrupted annulus, soral trichomes similar to the laminar ones or modified, sometimes more persistent, acicularsporangial trichomes sometimes present. Spores mostly 64 (rarely 8, 16 or 32), monolete.