Family HYMENOPHYLLACEAE
Description: Small delicate epiphytic or terrestrial plants, grows in rainforest under very moist conditions; rhizome creeping or erect, with an indumentum of hairs; stipes not articulated to the rhizome.
Fronds small, rarely exceeding 30 cm in length, simple or compound, vernation circinate; lamina thin and translucent, one cell thick except at the veins, stomates absent; veins free, false veins sometimes present.
Sori marginal or terminal on the segments, or on short lateral lobes, free from or to some degree immersed in the lamina; sporangia borne on a short or elongated rod-like receptacle enclosed in a 2-valved to tubular involucre.
Distribution and occurrence: World: c. 42 genera, c. 600 species, tropical to temperate regions. Australia: 12 genera, 41 species, Qld, N.S.W., Vic., Tas.
External links:
Wikipedia Cephalomanes is keyed out but is not treated further. C. atrovirens Presl is doubtfully recorded from the far NC of N.S.W.; it is native of N Qld, New Guinea, Philipp., Solomons, Vanuatu, and a single record (1887) for LHI. The number of genera and the placement of species in them varies in different treatments. For example, in Flora of Australia (Bostock & Spokes, 1998) the number of genera is 5, with 45 species for Australia.The genera as described in the Flora of New South Wales (Harden, 1990) are retained; however, synonyms names under alternate are given.
Text by Peter G. Wilson
Taxon concept:
Taxa not yet included in identification key
Cephalomanes,
Polyphlebium
| | Key to the genera | |
| 1 | Lamina simple, entire or irregularly lobed but not regularly pinnatifid | 2 |
| Lamina more divided, regularly pinnatifid to pinnately decompound, or digitate or flabellate | 3 |
| 2 | Margin of lamina of 1–2 rows of glossy black cells | Hymenophyllum |
| Margin of lamina not as above
Back to 1 | Crepidomanes |
| 3 | Rhizome creeping | Crepidomanes |
| Rhizome erect
Back to 1 | Abrodictyum |
|
