Phegopteris in Flora of North America @ efloras.org

3. Phegopteris (C. Presl) Fée, Mém. Foug. 5: 242. 1852.

Beech fern [Greek phegos, beech, and pteris, fern]

Alan R. Smith

Polypodium Linnaeus sect. Phegopteris C. Presl, Tent. Pterid., 179. 1836; Thelypteris Schmidel subg. Phegopteris (C. Presl) Ching

Stems long-creeping, 1--4 mm diam. Blades 2--3-pinnatifid in proximal part, broadest at base, apex gradually reduced; pinnae deeply lobed, mostly strongly adnate, connected by wing along rachis, wing sometimes forming lobe between pinnae and served by vein arising from rachis; costae not grooved adaxially; buds absent; veins free, simple or often forked, distal veins of segment reaching margin or nearly so; indument abaxially of unbranched, unicellular hairs, rachises and costae also with spreading, ovate-lanceolate scales. Sori round to oblong, supramedial to inframarginal, lacking indusia; sporangial capsule often bearing stalked glands or hairs. x = 30.

Species 3 (2 in the flora): north temperate and boreal, 1 in temperate e Asia.

SELECTED REFERENCES

Holttum, R. E. 1969. Studies in the family Thelypteridaceae. The genera Phegopteris, Pseudophegopteris, and Macrothelypteris. Blumea 17: 5--32.

1 Proximal pair of pinnae (7–)10–20 cm, connected to those next above by wing along rachis; scales on costae abaxially whitish to light tan, narrowly lanceolate, mostly 3–5 cells wide at base; hairs of costae abaxially mostly less than 0.25 mm, a few sometimes to 0.5 mm; segments of larger pinnae deeply lobed; veins always forked to pinnate. 1 Phegopteris hexagonoptera

+ Proximal pair of pinnae 3–10(–15) cm, sessile or slightly adnate to rachis; scales on costae abaxially tan to often shiny brown, ovate-lanceolate, usually 6–12 or more cells wide at base; hairs of costae abaxially mostly more than 0.3 mm with many ca. 0.5 mm; segments of pinna entire or crenate, rarely shallowly lobed; veins in segments of middle pinnae mostly simple. 2 Phegopteris connectilis

Lower Taxa