Pteridaceae

Kessler, Michael, Smith, Alan R. & Prado, Jefferson, 2017, Prodromus of a fern flora for Bolivia. XXVII. Pteridaceae, Phytotaxa 332 (3), pp. 201-250 : 202

Key to the Bolivian subfamilies of Pteridaceae

1 Plants of aquatic or wet habitats; fronds dimorphic or hemidimorphic ....................................................... subfam. Parkerioideae

- Plants not aquatic, rhizomes rooted in soil or rock crevices; fronds monomorphic or subdimorphic, rarely dimorphic ( Trachypteris ) ................................................................................................................................................................................... 2

2 Plants usually epiphytic; blades simple or forked distally; pseudoindusia absent ......................................... subfam. Vittarioideae

- Plants terrestrial or saxicolous; blades rarely simple, usually pinnatifid to 1–5-pinnate or more divided ....................................... 3

3 Sori borne on the underside of the reflexed pseudoindusia (modified blade margins) ............. subfam. Vittarioideae ( Adiantum )

- Sori borne marginally, submarginally, or along the veins abaxially ................................................................................................. 4

4 Spores with an equatorial flange, often iridescent; plants of lower montane rainforests, cloud forests, or paramos ......................... ......................................................................................................................................................................... subfam. Pteridoideae

- Spores lacking an equatorial flange; plants of open, often rocky, dry habitats, not generally of rainforests or cloud forests ............ ................................................................................................................................................................... subfam. Cheilanthoideae