Taxonomy
Sori on the leaves of Lepisorus clathratus © Li Wang
Rhizome scale of Lepirosurs clathratus © Li Wang
Lepisorus clathratus has the following synonyms:
- Polypodium clathratum (C B Clarke)
- Polypodium papakense (Masamune)
Lepisorus clathratus is a polypod fern which belongs to the Polypodiaceae family and the Lepisorus genus. The genus Lepisorus is a taxonomically difficult genus due to the morphological similarity of its species. In addition, the systematic position of Lepisorus was not clear until Ching (1933) raised it to generic rank based on morphological distinctness.
Recent phylogenetic analyses recovered Lepisporus clathratus as a distinct lineage within the genus Lepisorus. It is still not clear if the lineage comprises a single species Lepisorus clathratus, or several closely related and morphological highly similar species.
The phylogenetic studies also confirmed that Lepisorus clathratus includes individuals with regular dehiscent sporangia and individuals with indehiscent sporangia - previously, the latter were treated as the segregate genus Platygyria.
Morphology
The leaves are:
- simple and entire
- elliptical or lanceolate
- green in summer
The leaves have veins that are visible on both surfaces, but not prominent.
The rhizome is:
- long-creeping
- covered with concolored, clathrate scales - consisting of large clear lumina with long-protruding teeth on the margin
The sori are:
- round
- large
- form 2 straight lines between midrib and margins
Paraphyses cover the young sori. They are irregular or even ovate-lanceolate and usually fall off when sori are mature.
Toolbox
Share this
Glossary
Dehiscent
Plant structures that open at maturity.
Epiphytic
Grows on another plant or structure, but does not derive nutrition from it.
Indehiscent
Plant structures, such as fruits that do not open at maturity.
Ovate-lanceolate
Having a shape between oval and lance-like.
Paraphyses
Erect sterile filaments occurring amongst reproductive organs in plants.
Segregate genus
A segregate genus is created when a genus is split off, from another genus.
Sori
Clusters of sporangia.
Sporangia
Spore producing structures.
Water stress
Occurs when the demand for water exceeds the available amount during a certain period.