Flora of North America species comparison

long-creeping, 1.5–3 mm diam.

creeping to erect, scaly at apex.

monomorphic, dying back in winter, often 1 cm or more apart, fertile leaves often somewhat longer than sterile leaves, 25–80 cm.

monomorphic or somewhat dimorphic [dimorphic].

straw-colored above base, 12–45 cm × 1–3 mm, at base sparsely set with tan, ovate, glabrous scales.

in cross section with 2 crescent-shaped vascular bundles at base.

lanceolate, 14–35 cm, proximal pinnae largest, or lowest pair slightly smaller, blade tapered gradually to pinnatifid apex.

pinnate to pinnate-pinnatifid, rarely more than 2-pinnate [simple];

rachis grooved adaxially or not, grooves not continuous with grooves of next order.

deeply pinnatifid to ca. 1 mm from costa, 3–10 × 1–2 cm;

segments oblong, somewhat oblique, entire;

proximal pair of veins from adjacent segments meeting margin above sinus.

free or anastomosing, running to margin, areoles with or without included free veinlets.

round, medial;

indusia tan, often glandular;

sporangia glabrous.

inframedial to supramedial, occasionally nearly marginal, round or oblong, rarely elongate along veins;

indusia reniform or sometimes absent.

bilateral, monolete [rarely globose-tetrahedral and trilete], usually with a prominent, crested, echinate, or reticulate perispore.

green, cordate, usually hairy or glandular;

antheridia 3-celled.

abaxially of sparsely set hairs 0.2–0.4 mm primarily on costae, also of yellowish short-stalked glands less than 0.1 mm, blade tissue with numerous reddish to orangish, resinous, shiny, sessile, hemispheric glands;

blades adaxially with scattered hairs on veins.

of transparent, needlelike, hooked, septate, or stellate hairs, or rarely hairs lacking.

= 128.