This plant is tentatively placed under this name — the Neotropical lady ferns are badly in need of revision.
Athyrium arcuatum
Collection data
Classification & Common Names
- Class: Polypodiopsida
- Family: Athyriaceae
- Genus: Athyrium Roth
- Species: Athyrium arcuatum Liebm.
Collection Data
- Collection Date: 06-VIII-2017
- Primary collector: W. Testo
- Habitat: Montane forest
- Habit: Terrestrial
- Specimen locations: BRIT, HUA, UC, VT
About the Author
wtesto
I am a postdoc at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. I am interested in fern and lycophyte diversity, especially in the American tropics.
Hi Dr. Weston, I checked your orginal photo on this website, this species has short and hard spines along the costae, which seems to belong to Athyrium sect. Mackinnoniana, not Filix-femina complex.
Hi Ran — I think you are completely correct, and I should have been more careful in my discussion! I think this taxon is close to Athyrium deltoidofrons and other members of sect. Mackinnoniana, as you mention. I refer to it (inaccurately) as a member of the Athyrium filix-femina group because it has been considered to be that species in most floristic treatments in tropical America.
Hi Weston, thank you so much for your response! I doubt that whether there is real Athyrium filix-femina in South America. Another example is A. dombeyi, and I have seen specimens of this species in HUH, and I also think it as a member of sect. Mackinnoniana, and maybe belonging to sect. Otophora as well. But anyway, I have little knowledge about neotropical ferns, there might be mistakes.
Hi Ran, Yes – I think you are right. Athyrium throughout the Americas is pretty confusing (because it has been poorly studied compared to East Asian plants) and needs more work.