Polybotrya

Kessler, Michael, Moran, Robbin C., Mickel, John T., Matos, Fernando B. & Smith, Alan R., 2018, Prodromus of a fern flora for Bolivia. XXXV. Dryopteridaceae, Phytotaxa 353 (1), pp. 448-450 : 448-450

Key to the Bolivian species of Polybotrya

1 Sterile blades 1-pinnate (subg. Soromanes) ..................................................................................................................................... 2

– Sterile blades 1-pinnate-pinnatifid or more divided (subg. Polybotrya ) .......................................................................................... 3

2 Plants hemiepiphytic; rhizome scales orange or reddish brown, each with a dark central stripe and lighter borders; fertile pinnules usually> 1 cm long .................................................................................................................................................. P. crassirhizoma

– Plants terrestrial; rhizome scales brown, concolorous; fertile pinnules usually round to oblong, <1 cm long ......... P. fractiserialis

3 Pinnules of median pinnae anadromous, i.e., the acroscopic pinnules are closest to the rachises ............................ P. osmundacea

– Pinnules of median pinnae catadromous, i.e., the basiscopic pinnules are closest to the rachises .................................................. 4

4 Axes with acicular hairs 1–2.5 mm long ............................................................................................................................ P. pubens

– Axes glabrous or with hairs <1 mm long ......................................................................................................................................... 5

5 Tertiary segments or lobes of the sterile blades 0.5–1.5 mm wide and with 1 vein each ............................................ P. lechleriana

– Tertiary segments of the sterile blades> 2 mm wide and with>1 vein each .................................................................................... 6

6 Rhizome scales yellowish to golden brown, membranaceous, translucent, often long and tortuous ............................................... 7

– Rhizome scales dull brown, thick, opaque, spreading to curved and ascending .............................................................................. 8

7 Blades glabrous on both surfaces; veins not prominent adaxially ........................................................................... P. aequatoriana

– Blades pubescent on both surfaces; veins prominent adaxially ................................................................................. P. puberulenta

8 Sterile blades mostly 2-pinnate-pinnatifid; tertiary segments or lobes entire or nearly so ............................................... P. caudata

– Sterile blades mostly 3-pinnate-pinnatifid or more divided; tertiary segments lobed ...................................................................... 9

9 Sterile blades mostly 4-pinnate-pinnatifid; ultimate segments or lobes 1–2 mm wide; major axes on all sides with numerous, narrow (1–3 cells wide), reddish brown, tortuous, spreading scales ............................................................................. P. botryoides

– Sterile blades mostly 3-pinnate-pinnatifid; ultimate segments> 2 mm wide; major axes without scales, or if scales present, then not as above .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 10

10 Basal tertiary segments less than 2.5(–3) times longer than broad ................................................................................................ 11

– Basal tertiary segments 3–6 times longer than broad ..................................................................................................................... 12

11 Pinnules to 12 × 5 cm, with 7–12 segments and/or lobes; leaves to 140 × 70 cm, blade apices rarely long-attenuate; major axes lacking scales ...................................................................................................................................................................... P. alfredii

– Pinnules to 2.5 × 1.2 cm, with 5–7 segments and/or lobes; leaves to 55 × 26 cm, blade apices long-attenuate; major axes with narrow, dark, tortuous scales .......................................................................................................................................... P. attenuata

12 Costae evenly puberulent abaxially; grooves of the costules adaxially truncated by the ridges of the costal grooves and therefore not decurrent, glabrous or nearly so within ........................................................................................................................ P. hickeyi

– Costae glabrous or nearly so abaxially; grooves of the costules adaxially decurrent into the grooves of the costae, filled with reddish and brown hairs ............................................................................................................................................. P. osmundacea