Ctenitis grisebachii (Baker) Ching

  • Authority

    Mickel, John T. & Smith, Alan R. 2004. The pteridophytes of Mexico. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 88: 1-1054.

  • Family

    Dryopteridaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Ctenitis grisebachii (Baker) Ching

  • Description

    Deprecated: mb_convert_encoding(): Handling HTML entities via mbstring is deprecated; use htmlspecialchars, htmlentities, or mb_encode_numericentity/mb_decode_numericentity instead in /home/emu/nybgweb/www-dev/htdocs/science-dev/wp-content/themes/nybgscience/lib/VHMonographsDetails.php on line 179

    Species Description - Rhizomes suberect, stout, caudices to 3 cm diam.; fronds large, to 150 cm long or more; stipes stramineous to brown, ca. 1/3–1/2 the frond length, to 60 + cm x 7 mm, throughout with brown stiff spreading lustrous, hair-like, flat scales 5–9 x 0.2–1 mm, underlain by glandular hairs 0.1 mm long and sometimes a few jointed hairs; blades light green, deltate-ovate, 2–3-pinnatepinnatifid, to ca. 75 x 70 cm; rachises abaxially with scales similar to those of stipes but shorter and less numerous; pinnae to ca. 15 pairs, proximal pair the longest, to 38 x 12 cm; segments entire to crenulate, rounded to acute at tips, margins with jointed hairs 0.1–0.5 mm long; veins simple or the basal ones sometimes forked, ending at the margins above the sinuses; indument on costae and costules abaxially of flat, brown scales 0.8–1 x 0.3– 0.5 mm, also with appressed jointed hairs 0.1–0.3 mm long and small glands 0.1 mm on costae, costules, and veins, adaxially with sparse hairs 0.3 mm on veins; laminae between veins on both sides with appressed glandular hairs 0.1–0.2 mm long, or glabrescent adaxially; sori medial, with indusia brown to tan, 0.5– 0.8 mm wide, persistent, glandular; 2n=164 (Jam).

  • Discussion

    Nephrodium grisebachii Baker in Hooker & Baker, Syn. Fil. 285. 1867. Dryopteris grisebachii (Baker) Kuntze, Revis. Gen. Pl. 2: 812. 1891. Type. Cuba. [Oriente:] Wright 1055 (K!-3 sheets; isotype US!). Ctenitis molinae Stolze, Amer. Fern J. 67: 40. 1977. Type. Guatemala. Chimaltenango: Volca´n Fuego, Steyermark 52120 (US!-2 sheets; isotype F).

    This species is similar in size to C. equestris, but differs in the segment margins with jointed hairs 0.1–0.5 mm long; stipe and costal scales narrower, lustrous, stiff, and uniformly dark brown; costules with glandular hairs and flat, brown scales 0.8–1 x 0.3– 0.5 mm; pinnae glandular on laminae and veins abaxially; sparse jointed hairs 0.3 mm on veins adaxially; and sori with brown to tan, persistent indusia 0.5–0.8 mm wide. The combination of the ciliate segment margins, flat costal scales, dark brown, flat, stiff, spreading stipe scales, and large, persistent, glandular indusia distinguishes C. grisebachii from other bipinnate-pinnatifid (or more divided) species in Mexico. Citation of this species from Nayarit by Mickel and Beitel (1988) was based on misidentified specimens of Ctenitis equestris.

  • Distribution

    Terrestrial in wet montane forests; 1300–1950 m. Mexico; Guat, Hond, Nic, CR; Cuba, Jam, Hisp.

    Mexico North America| West Indies| Jamaica South America| Cuba South America| Costa Rica South America| Nicaragua Central America| Honduras Central America| Guatemala Central America|