Elaphoglossum

Kessler, Michael, Smith, Alan R., Øllgaard, Benjamin, Matos, Fernando B. & Moran, Robbin C., 2023, Prodromus of a fern flora of Bolivia. XLII. Update I., Phytotaxa 630 (3), pp. 183-210 : 186

Elaphoglossum by F.B.Matos and R.C.Moran

Kessler et al. (2018) treated 127 species of Elaphoglossum for Bolivia, including 11 species in sect. Polytrichia . Since then, taxonomic work by Matos et al. (2019, 2022) has led to a re-circumscription of the section and of species limits. Molecular phylogenetic studies have shown that the Decursivum Group of Elaphoglossum is nested within sect. Polytrichia , even though its species lack the characteristic subulate scales that define the section. In Bolivia, the species belonging to the Decursivum Group are Elaphoglossum miersii and E. papyraceum , which were previously placed in section Lepidoglossa and Elaphoglossum , respectively (Kessler et al. 2018). More importantly, the specimens placed under E. ambiguum by Smith et al. (1999) and Kessler et al. (2018) were found not to be this species (which belongs to sect. Polytrichia and occurs from Hispaniola to Colombia); instead, they represent an undescribed species in sect. Elaphoglossum , which we here describe. Also, we here report the first Bolivian record of Elaphoglossum alipes and synonymize E. pilosius under E. lindenii .