| Angiopteris | |
|---|---|
| | |
| Angiopteris lygodiifolia in Longtan District, Taoyuan City, Taiwan | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Division: | Polypodiophyta |
| Class: | Polypodiopsida |
| Order: | Marattiales |
| Family: | Marattiaceae |
| Genus: | Angiopteris Hoffm. |
| Type species | |
| Angiopteris evecta (Forster) Hoffmann | |
| Species | |
| Synonyms [1] | |
| |
Angiopteris is a genus of huge evergreen ferns from the family Marattiaceae, found throughout the paleotropics from Madagascar to the South Pacific islands.
They feature a large, erect, woody rhizome with a wide base supported by thick roots. The fronds are deltoid, pinnate, 5–8 metres (16–26 ft) long, with spreading leaflets. [2] At the base of the fronds is a pair of thick, leathery stipules — in the case of A. canaliculata, measuring up to 15 cm (5.9 in) long and wide. [3] Species of smaller stature with elongate synangia and creeping rhizomes are sometimes segregated into the genus Archangiopteris , and a once-pinnate monotypic segregate genus has been called Macroglossum , but molecular data supports inclusion of these taxa within a broad concept of Angiopteris. [4]
Angiopteris is unique among ferns in having explosively dispersed spores, thought to be caused by the cavitation of an airspace between spore layers. [5] The basal chromosome number for this genus is 2n=80. The type species is Angiopteris evecta . [4]
Angiopteris evecta has been introduced and naturalized in Hawaii, [6] Jamaica, and parts of Central America, where it has become an invasive weed in lower elevation drainages.[ citation needed ]
The Smith et al. classification of 2006, based on molecular phylogeny, placed Angiopteris in Marattiaceae. [7] Subsequent classifications have maintained this placement. [8] [9] [10]
Angiopteris taxonomy is poorly understood, with nearly 200 poorly defined species having been named, [4] only a small handful of which are recognized in modern floras as of October 2022 [update] . [11]
Phylogeny of Angiopteris [12] [13]
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Unassigned species: