Ceratopteris thalictroides

(Linnaeus) Brongniart

Bull. Sci. Soc. Philom. Paris sér. 3, 8: 186. 1821.

Illustrated
Basionym: Acrostichum thalictroides Linnaeus Sp. Pl. 2: 1070. 1753
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 2.

Plants usually rooted in soil. Sterile leaves lanceolate to lanceovate to ovate to deltate or cordate. Petiole of sterile leaf 1–31 cm, not inflated. Blade of sterile leaf 1–3-pinnate, 2–41 × 2–20 cm; segments lobed or incised, elliptic to lanceolate to ovate or deltate, to 12.5 cm; proximal pinnae ± alternate. Fertile leaves lanceolate to ovate to deltate or cordate, 2–117 × 2–48 cm. Petiole of fertile leaf 1–46 cm. Blade of fertile leaf 3–4-pinnate proximally, 2-pinnate distally; terminal segments linear. Sporangia usually crowded between segment midvein and revolute margin, with 13–71 indurate annulus cells. Spores 32 per sporangium, 96–124 µm diam. 2n = 154, 156.


Habitat: Aquatic to semiaquatic in swamps, bogs, canals, ponds, lakes, ditches, marshes
Elevation: 0–200 m

Distribution

V2 737-distribution-map.gif

Calif., Fla., La., Tex., worldwide in tropical areas except Africa

Discussion

Ceratopteris thalictroides is common in Florida but rare elsewhere. It is tetraploid (n = 77, 78), the two cytotypes reproductively isolated. It can be distinguished from the diploid C. richardii on the basis of spore number per sporangium. The single population in southern California may have been a recent introduction and apparently has not persisted. Several populations are of hybrid origin, with reduced spore viability and irregular meiotic pairing. These include some in southern Florida and Texas.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"broad" is not a number."thin" is not a number.

156 +  and 154 +
Robert M. Lloyd +
(Linnaeus) Brongniart +
Acrostichum thalictroides +
2-pinnate +, 3-4-pinnate +  and 1-3-pinnate +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (41 cm410 mm <br />0.41 m <br />) +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (20 cm200 mm <br />0.2 m <br />) +
Calif. +, Fla. +, La. +, Tex. +  and worldwide in tropical areas except Africa +
0–200 m +
Aquatic to semiaquatic in swamps, bogs, canals, ponds, lakes, ditches, marshes +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (117 cm1,170 mm <br />1.17 m <br />) +
fertile +  and sterile +
lanceolate;ovate +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (48 cm480 mm <br />0.48 m <br />) +
not inflated +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (46 cm460 mm <br />0.46 m <br />) +
Bull. Sci. Soc. Philom. Paris +
incised elliptic +  and lanceolate +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (12.5 cm125 mm <br />0.125 m <br />) +
Illustrated +
tetrahedral +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
Ceratopteris thalictroides +
Ceratopteris +
species +