Click the number at the start of a key lead to highlight both that lead and its corresponding lead. Click again to show only the two highlighted leads. Click a third time to return to the full key with the selected leads still highlighted.

Click images to enlarge and show more photo credit.

Key to Polypodiaceae

Polypodiaceae

Copy permalink to share

1
Leaves entire, unlobed.
  2
Sori confluent into a marginal band towards the leaf apex; [subfamily Polypodioideae]
 ⇒ Pleopeltis marginata
  2
Sori discrete, round, elliptical or oblong.
    3
Leaf blade scaly on the lower surface with peltate, bicolored scales; stems (rhizomes) long-creeping, ca. 1 mm in diameter, the leaves scattered; [subfamily Polypodioideae]
 ⇒ Pleopeltis astrolepis
    3
Leaf blade scaleless on the lower surface; [subfamily Campyloneuroideae]
      4
Stems (rhizomes) short-creeping, 2-10 mm in diameter, the leaves clustered; main lateral veins either readily apparent (and then parallel to one another or obscure
 ⇒ Campyloneurum
      4
Stems (rhizomes) long-creeping, 0.5-1.5 mm in diameter (3-6 mm in M. nitida), the leaves spaced along the rhizome; main lateral veins obscure, anastamosing
 ⇒ Microgramma
1
Leaves either pinnatifid to 1-pinnate, or palmately and dichotomously lobed.
  5
Leaves palmately lobed, the lobes branching dichotomously; foliage indument of stellate hairs; [subfamily Platycerioideae]
 ⇒ Platycerium bifurcatum
  5
Leaves pinnatifid or pinnate (the lobes arrayed along an axis); foliage indument absent or of simple hairs or scales.
    6
Leaves 1-pinnate; [subfamily Serpocauloideae]
 ⇒ Serpocaulon triseriale
    6
Leaves simple, 1-pinnatifid.
      7
Plants dwarf, the leaf blades < 5 cm long; [occurring only in habitats where the air is constantly humid and the substrate saturated, as in grottoes behind waterfalls]; [subfamily Grammitidoideae]
 ⇒ Moranopteris nimbata
      7
Plants larger, the leaf blades 7-90 cm long; [occurring in moist to dry habitats].
        8
Leaf blade densely scaly on the lower surface with peltate, bicolored scales; rhizome 1-2 mm in diameter; leaf segment margins entire; [subfamily Polypodioideae]
 ⇒ Pleopeltis

(c) Fleming, Gary P.
        8
Leaf blade scaleless on the lower surface; rhizome 3-15 (-30) mm in diameter; leaf segment margins denticulate (Polypodium) or entire (Pecluma, Phlebodium, Phymatosorus).

(c) Danielson, Erik
          9
Larger leaves with > 25 pairs of segments, each 1.5-5 (-8) mm wide; [of ne. FL southward]; [subfamily Polypodioideae]
 ⇒ Pecluma

(c) Bradley, Keith
          9
Larger leaves with < 25 pairs of segments, each (3-) 5-40 mm wide; [collectively widespread in our area.
             10
Venation free or with a row of areoles between the pinnae midveins and margins; rhizome 3-6 mm in diameter; leaf blade < 9 cm wide; [subfamily Polypodioideae]
 ⇒ Polypodium

(c) Martin, Alina - CC-BY
             10
Venation highly reticulate, with 3-4 rows of areoles between the pinnae midveins and margins; rhizome 3-30 mm in diameter; leaf blade 10-50 cm wide.

(c) Cressler, Alan M.
               11
Sori borne in distinct depressions in the blade surface; rhizome 3-6 mm in diameter; sori in (1-) 2-3 rows on each side of the costa; [subfamily Microsoroideae]
 ⇒ Microsorum grossum

(c) Randal - CC0
(c) Randal - CC0
               11
Sori borne on the planar blade surface or slightly sunken; rhizome 8-30 mm in diameter; sori in 1-2 row on each side of the costa; [subfamily Polypodioideae]

(c) Cressler, Alan M.
                 12
Plant with 2 distinct frond types, sessile nest fronds with shallow lobes ("oaklike") which turn a light coppery brown, and long-petiolate foliage fronds which are green and pinnatifid with deep sinuses; [subfamily Crypsinoideae]
 ⇒ Drynaria quercifolia

(c) Mesaglio, Thomas - CC-BY
                 12
Plant lacking nest fronds, only bearing long-petiolate foliage fronds with deep sinuses; [subfamily Polypodioideae]
 ⇒ Phlebodium aureum

(c) Cressler, Alan M.