Flora of North America species comparison

The mating systems of Polystichum seem to be highly outcrossing (P. S. Soltis and D. E. Soltis 1987; P. S. Soltis et al. 1989); hybrids are frequent where two or more species occur. Sterile hybrids are discussed under one of their putative parents.

Sterile hybrids are best recognized by their misshapen sporangia, which produce little black dots at the end of the season instead of forming the fuzzy brown bump typical of sori after spores have been expelled. In many cases the intermediacy and robustness of hybrids make them stand out as odd. At least one or two hybrid plants are to be expected in large, mixed populations. The allopolyploids, having hybrid origins, present particular problems. They exhibit the Vavilov effect: allopolyploids tend to resemble one of their parental species when they grow with, or in the habitat typical of, that species (D. S. Barrington et al. 1989).

In the flora there are six diploids, five tetraploids, one hexaploid, and three species whose chomosome number is unknown. Relationships among the diploids are generally not very close; that is, each is probably more closely related to a species outside the flora than to one of the other species in the flora. The exception to this is the group composed of Polystichum acrostichoides, P. imbricans, and P. munitum. Polystichum acrostichoides appears to share a Tertiary common ancestor with P. munitum, and P. imbricans is more recently derived from P. munitum. All of the polyploid species are fertile allopolyploids. One of these species (P. braunii) is also involved in the formation of the hexaploid P. setigerum (see below).

Relationships among Polystichum Species

Allopolyploid Presumed Originating Crosses andersonii kwakiutlii × munitum californicum dudleyi × imbricans or dudleyi × munitum kruckebergii lemmonii × lonchitis scopulinum lemmonii × imbricans or lemmonii × munitum setigerum braunii × munitum

The morphological similarity among Polystichum species may make identification difficult, particularly among the species with more divided leaves. The keys presented here are designed for mature, typical individuals. Some of the characters mentioned in the keys and descriptions require the use of a microscope. The microscales (small trichomes that occur on the abaxial leaf surface of all species and adaxially in some) are best observed by peeling them off with cellophane tape and mounting the tape on a slide, sticky side up, under a coverslip. The tape can also be used to lift off the components of the sori. Polystichum acrostichoides, P. andersonii, P. lemmonii, and P. munitum are known to have sclereid clusters in their pith. Polystichum imbricans lacks such clusters, and data are not available for the other species.

Species ca. 180 (15 in the flora).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)