Tectaria mexicana (Fée) C.V.Morton

  • Authority

    Mickel, John T. & Beitel, Joseph M. 1988. Pteridophyte Flora of Oaxaca, Mexico. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 46: 1-580.

  • Family

    Tectariaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Tectaria mexicana (Fée) C.V.Morton

  • Description

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    Species Description - Rhizome short-creeping to erect; rhizome scales concolorous, brown, lanceolate-subulate, (5-)6-9 mm long, lower surface and margin ciliate with dense hairs; fronds mostly 40-100 cm long; stipe shorter than or about equaling blade, stramineous to usually reddish-brown, with scattered to dense 0.1-0.3 mm long hairs; blade bipinnate-pinnatifid to subtripinnate at the base, deltate, 20-50 cm long; rachis densely pubescent with 0.1-0.3 mm long hairs, scattered 0.5-0.8 mm long hairs, not gemmiferous; pinnae 3-6 pairs, only the upper ones decurrent, basal pair deltate, 12-38 cm long, 7-30 cm wide, long-stalked (to 4 cm long), margin crenate with ciliate sinuses (0.3-0.8 mm long hairs), basal proximal pinnule of lowermost pinnae the largest, to 22 cm long; costae and costules pilose below with 0.1-0.3 mm long glandular hairs or glabrous, adaxial costae with dense 0.1-0.3 mm long hairs; abaxial veins and margin with scattered 0.3-0.5 mm long hairs; adaxial veins with 0.1-0.3 mm long hairs, upper laminar surface glabrous to one or more jointed hairs per areole; areoles mostly elongate-pentagonal, free included veinlets absent for the most part; sori in two rows, one on either side of costule; indusia persistent, round, with a deep sinus and rounded, overlapping lobes, thus appearing peltate, remaining membranous and not thickened at maturity, margin ciliate.

  • Discussion

    Sagenia mexicana Fée, Mém. foug. 5: 313. 1852. Syntypes. Mexico. Oaxaca, Galeotti 6542 (P!); Etlapa, Galeotti 6484 (P!-2 sheets; isotype BR!). Aspidium latifolium Presl, Reliq. haenk. 1: 30. 1825, non Tectaria latifolia (Forster) Copeland, 1907. Type. Mexico. Haenke s.n. (PRC?). The names Tectaria dilacerata (Kunze) Maxon and T. cicutaria (Linnaeus) Copeland have been misapplied to this species in Mexico and Central America (see Morton, 1966). The lack of free included veinlets, bipinnate-pinnatifid fronds, rhizome scales and the ciliate pinna margins (especially in the sinuses) will distinguish this from the other species of Tectaria in Oaxaca, with the non-peltate indusia separating it from T. heracleifolia. The form with pilose-hairy lamina, T. mexicana var. pilosula Morton, has been collected in Sinaloa (cited in Morton, 1966), Guerrero (Hinton 10929, NY-2 sheets) and Veracruz (Guerrero C. 1271, NY).

  • Distribution

    Wet forests; Choapan, Cuicatlán, Ixtlán, Juchitán, Juquila, Mixe, Pochutla, Putla, Tuxtepec, Villa Alta; 100-1500 m. Mexico (Sin, Nay, Jal, Mich, Gro, Ver, Oax, Chis); Guat to Pan; Col.

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