Flora of North America species comparison

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Tectaria

halberd fern
Habit Plants terrestrial or on rock.
Stems

short-creeping to erect, stolons absent.
Leaves

monomorphic, evergreen.
Petiole

3/4–3 times length of blade, base not swollen;

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

lanceolate to deltate or pentagonal, entire to 1-pinnate-pinnatifid [3-pinnate-pinnatifid], reduced distally to shallowly lobed or hastate apex, herbaceous to papery.
Pinnae

not articulate to rachis, segment margins entire to sinuate or shallowly lobed;

proximal pinnae not or only slightly reduced, sessile to short-petiolulate, base equilateral or often inequilateral with prominent basiscopic lobe(s);

costae adaxially rounded or shallowly grooved, grooves not continuous from rachis to costae;

indument lacking or of multicellular hairs on costae abaxially, of multicellular hairs on costae adaxially.
Veins

reticulate, areoles with or without included veinlets.
Sori

in 1–several rows between midrib and margin, round;

indusia peltate to round-reniform and with narrow sinus, persistent or caducous.
Spores

brownish, with inflated folds or wings.
x

= 40.

Tectaria
Distribution
from USDA
Mostly tropical
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Species ca. 200 (4 in the flora).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Key
1. Blades 15-50 cm; areoles with included veinlets.
→ 2
1. Blades 5-15 cm; areoles rarely with included veinlets.
→ 3
2. Indusia peltate, attached centrally; pinnae cordate at base; rachises and costae glabrous abaxially.
T. heracleifolia
2. Indusia round-reniform, attached at sinus; pinnae oblique at base; rachises and costae puberulent abaxially.
T. incisa
3. Pinnae 1-8 pairs, often with proliferous buds in axils; petiole shorter than or rarely equaling blade, pubescent on both surfaces; indusia round-reniform, attached at sinus.
T. coriandrifolia
3. Pinnae absent or 1(-2) pair, without proliferous buds in axils; petiole 1-3 times length of blade, pubescent adaxially, lacking hairs abaxially; indusia peltate, attached centrally.
T. fimbriata
Source FNA vol. 2. Author: Robbin C. Moran.
Parent taxa Dryopteridaceae
Subordinate taxa
T. coriandrifolia, T. fimbriata, T. heracleifolia, T. incisa
Name authority Cavanilles: Anales Hist. Nat. 1(2): 115. (1799)
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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