Pecluma M.G.Price

Assis, Francine C., Almeida, Thaís Elias, Russell, Stephen J., Schneider, Harald & Salino, Alexandre, 2016, Molecular Phylogeny and Recircumscription of the Fern Genus Pecluma (Polypodiaceae-Polypodiopsida), Phytotaxa 247 (4), pp. 235-246 : 241-242

Pecluma M.G.Price , American Fern Journal 73: 109, 1983.

Type:— Pecluma pectinata ( L.) M. G.Price. Basionym: Polypodium pectinatum L. Species Plantarum 2: 1085, 1753. ≡ Goniophlebium pectinatum ( L.) J.Sm., Journal of Botany 4: 57, 1842. Lectotype (chosen by Evans, 1969: 246): Plumiér, Description des Plantes de l’Amerique 26, t. 37, 1693.

Plants epiphytic, less often epipetric or terrestrial.Rhizome long- to short-creeping, rarely suberect to erect, unbranched, dorsiventral, green to reddish brown (never glaucous), sometimes with proliferous roots, scaly; rhizome scales light red to dark brown (concolorous to bicolorous), non-clathrate to subclathrate (clathrate in Pecluma sanctae-mariae , occasionally in P. consimilis ), basifixed to peltate, surfaces glabrous or hairy (comose), margins entire, toothed, or fimbriate. Fronds 4.0– 199.5 cm long, monomorphic, distant or clumped. Petiole 0.2–45.0 cm long, 0.3–5.3 mm diam., black to reddish brown, sometimes lighter in color, terete, rarely channeled on laterals, articulate on short phyllopodia 1–2 mm long, hairy or not. Blades 3.9–166.9 cm x 1.2–35.0 cm, pinnatisect or pectinate-pinnatifid with numerous linear or narrowly deltate segments, bases attenuate to truncate, sometimes with scattered to numerous scales along the axes (never on lamina surface). Segments 6–140 mm x 1–20 mm, adnate, sometimes constricted at basiscopic side. Veins simple or 1–4-forked, usually free, rarely anastomosing with only one row of areoles between costa and pinna margin; areoles with one included veinlet. Indument of catenate and acicular hairs adaxially on rachises, costae, and sometimes on laminae between veins, abaxially with hairs on both rachises and costae, of appressed septate hairs on both surface of laminae, and of branched comb-like hairs (“ctenoid” hairs) adaxially on stipes and rachises, abaxially on rachises, costa, and laminae. Sori round to oblong, terminal on the first acroscopic veinlet, in single rows on each side of costae; paraphyses simple or branched, multicellular, sometimes clavate at the tips, rarely absent; sporangia glabrous or with 1–3-celled hairs (1–5 per sporangium) on the capsules; spores yellow to white, monolete, ellipsoidal, rarely ovoid, surfaces verrucate to tuberculate; x = 37 (x = 111 in Pecluma dispersa — Evans 1969).

Pecluma differs from Polypodium s.s. (sensu Polypodium clade in Otto et al. 2009 and Sigel et al. 2014, including the Polypodium vulgare and Polypodium plesiosorum groups) in having non-glaucous rhizomes and often terete stipes and rachises. Most species also have pectinate fronds. Pecluma differs from Pleopeltis species with 1-pinnate blades in the absence of laminar surface scales, which are persistent and peltate in Pleopeltis species with 1-pinnate blades ( Otto et al. 2009, Smith & Tejero-Díez 2014). Pleopeltis species without scales on the laminar surface have simple blades, while Pecluma species have 1-pinnate blades ( Smith & Tejero-Díez 2014). Pecluma differs from Phlebodium by its free venation, or if anastomosing, the lack of included double veinlets. In Phlebodium , the veins are netted with sori at the junction of double included veinlets ( Mickel & Smith 2004).