Pleopeltis

Smith, Alan R., Kessler, Michael, León, Blanca, Almeida, Thaís Elias, Jiménez-Pérez, Iván & Lehnert, Marcus, 2018, Prodromus of a fern flora for Bolivia. XL. Polypodiaceae, Phytotaxa 354 (1), pp. 448-450 : 448-450

Key to the Bolivian species of Pleopeltis

1 Blades entire ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 2

– Blades pinnatifid ............................................................................................................................................................................... 5

2 Petioles conspicuously flattened, usually twisted, <1/10 the total leaf length; rhizome scales 0.2–0.6 mm long, round to ovate, dark, long-ciliate; sori elongate, mostly more than twice as long as wide .............................................................................. P. astrolepis

– Petioles terete, not conspicuously twisted, 1/3–1/12 the total leaf length; rhizome scales 0.6–2.5 mm long, ovate to lanceolate, dark to bicolorous, long-ciliate to erose; sori round to slightly oblong, to twice as long as wide ........................................................... 3

3 Rhizome scales 0.6–1.1 mm long, ovate, dark (occasionally with narrow pale margins), long-ciliate; costae blackish brown ......... ....................................................................................................................................................................................... P. intermedia

– Rhizome scales 1.5–2.5 mm long, oblong to lanceolate, bicolorous (dark with broad pale margins), glabrous or with a few hairs basally on the adaxial side, erose to short-ciliate; costae medium dark brown ................................................................................ 4

4 Blade scales lanceolate, in part, to 1.5 mm long, the margins erose to short-ciliate; blade bases gradually decurrent;> 1850 m ...... ..................................................................................................................................................................................... P. macrocarpa

– Blade scales all circular, rarely short-lanceolate, to 0.3 mm in diameter, the margins short-ciliate; blade bases cuneate; <1000 m. ............................................................................................................................................................................................... P. stolzei

5 Blades dichotomously, or subdichotomously forked; segments strongly ascending, 2–4 pairs; blade scales very small, widely scattered, often round, 0.1–0.4 mm diam. ........................................................................................................................................ 6

– Blades lobed, or pinnatifid to pinnatisect; segments spreading to slightly ascending, generally>10 pairs; blade scales usually more numerous, roundish and some often ovate or lanceolate, mostly 0.5–2 mm long ........................................................................... 7