Flora of North America species comparison

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Phanerophlebia

Mexican holly fern, phanerophlebia
Habit Plants terrestrial, less commonly on rock.
Stems

short-creeping to erect, stolons absent.
Leaves

monomorphic, evergreen.
Petiole

shorter than or ± equaling length of blade, base not swollen;

vascular bundles more than 3, arranged in an arc, ± round in cross section.
Blade

ovate-lanceolate, 1-pinnate, with a ± similar apical pinna, papery.
Pinnae

not articulate to rachis, segment margins serrulate to spinulose;

proximal pinnae largest or nearly so, short-petiolulate, ± equilateral or inequilateral with acroscopic lobe;

costae adaxially grooved, grooves continuous from rachis to costae;

indument of filiform scales on costae and veins abaxially, ± glabrous adaxially.
Veins

free [anastomosing], forked.
Sori

in 2 or more rows between midrib and margin, round;

indusia persistent or caducous [absent].
Spores

brown, with inflated folds or wings.
x

= 41.

Phanerophlebia
Distribution
from USDA
North America; Mexico; Central America; n South America; West Indies in Hispaniola
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Phanerophlebia has sometimes been included in Cyrtomium, which it resembles superficially. As with that genus, Phanerophlebia might better be considered a subgenus of Polystichum, from which it is poorly differentiated morphologically. Elsewhere, some species have bicolored stem scales, netted venation, and/or lack indusia.

Species 8 (2 in the flora).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Key
1. Pinnae, at least some on each plant, with basal, acroscopic lobe; indusia flat to concave centrally, not umbonate, shriveled at maturity.
P. auriculata
1. Pinnae lacking basal, acroscopic lobe; indusia with raised, central umbo, not shriveled at maturity.
P. umbonata
Source FNA vol. 2. Author: George Yatskievych.
Parent taxa Dryopteridaceae
Subordinate taxa
P. auriculata, P. umbonata
Name authority C. Presl: Tent. Pterid. 84. (1836)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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