Polybotrya

  • Authority

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

  • Family

    Dryopteridaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Polybotrya

  • Description

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    Genus Description - Hemiepiphytic or terrestrial; rhizomes long-creeping, scaly, in cross section with 4–10 circularly arranged meristeles, each meristele surrounded by a dark sclerenchymatous sheath; fronds holodimorphic; stipes scaly, grooved; sterile fronds 1–3-pinnate, subcoriaceous to coriaceous; veins free to anastomosing; axes grooved adaxially, grooves coalescent; fertile fronds greatly contracted, not foliaceous, 2–4-pinnate, sporangia in masses on lower surface, indusia absent; spores bilateral with a thick, folded surface; x=41.

  • Discussion

    Type: Polybotrya osmundacea Humb. & Bonpl. ex Willd.

    Polybotrya is a neotropical genus of 35 species of lowland and montane rain forests, with two rare or uncommon species in Mexico. A third species, P. osmundacea Willd., is widespread in the neotropics and occurs in Guatemala and Belize; it may be found eventually in Mexico. The genus Olfersia (which see) is closely to related and often combined with Polybotrya. Olfersia cervina has parallel veins that fork near the midrib and fuse at the margin (marginal commissural vein), a conform terminal pinna, and sporangia that appear to be on both surfaces of the fertile pinnae, whereas Polybotrya lacks a commissural vein and the veins are not parallel most of their length. At a higher level, Polybotrya and Olfersia are related to the genera Maxonia and Cyclodium in Mesoamerica and South America. At still higher levels, the relationships are to Lastreopsis, Bolbitis, Elaphoglossum, Ctenitis, Stigmatopteris, Dryopteris, Polystichum, and Phanerophlebia, all members of the large, pantropical, subtropical, and temperate dryopteroid clade (Hasebe et al., 1995; Cranfill, unpubl.).