Blechnaceae

Dittrich, Vinícius Antonio De Oliveira, Salino, Alexandre, Monteiro, Reinaldo & Gasper, André Luís De, 2017, The family Blechnaceae (Polypodiopsida) in Brazil: key to the genera and taxonomic treatment of Austroblechnum, Cranfillia, Lomaridium, Neoblechnum and Telmatoblechnum for southern and southeastern Brazil, Phytotaxa 303 (1), pp. 1-33 : 3

Key to the Brazilian genera of Blechnaceae

1. Rachises climbing; sterile fronds bipinnate ................................................................................................................... Salpichlaena

- Rhizomes climbing or plants not climbing; sterile fronds entire to 1-pinnate ................................................................................. 2

2. Sterile and fertile leaves monomorphic or slightly dimorphic ......................................................................................................... 3

- Sterile and fertile leaves clearly dimorphic ...................................................................................................................................... 5

3. Leaves fully pinnate; pinnae articulate to rachises; rhizomes long-creeping, subterranean .................................. Telmatoblechnum

- Leaves pinnatifid to pinnatisect, never fully pinnate; pinnae not articulate to rachises; rhizomes erect or ascending, not subterranean ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 4

4. Rhizomes stout (> 15 cm in circumference), erect, clothed with linear blackish scales at least 25 mm long; stipes to 0.5 m long; leaf margins serrulate .................................................................................................................................................... Neoblechnum

- Rhizomes slender (<5 cm in circumference), erect or ascending, clothed with lanceolate brown scales at most 8 mm long; stipes usually much less than 0.5 m; leaf margins apparently entire (or finely denticulate, teeth visible only under magnification) .......... ............................................................................................................................................................................................. Blechnum

5. Rhizome scales generally denticulate, with a dark central stripe; rhizomes long-creeping, generally climbing ........... Lomaridium

- Rhizome scales entire, with or without a dark central stripe; rhizomes erect, short-creeping or rarely long-creeping, never climbing ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 6

6. Pinnae adnate throughout ................................................................................................................................................................. 7

- Proximal pinnae sessile or stalked .................................................................................................................................................... 8

7. Sterile blades truncate at bases, lacking vestigial pinnae; fronds at least 32 × 7 cm ......................................................... Cranfillia

- Blades various but, if truncate at bases and lacking vestigial pinnae, then at most 12.4 × 2.6 cm .......................... Austroblechnum

8. Rachis each with a flagelliform apex bearing a bud............................................................................................................ Cranfillia

- Rachises lacking flagelliform apices, without buds (buds may be present at pinnae bases) ............................................................ 9

9. Rhizomes erect to creeping, never trunk-like; leaf blades truncate at base ................................................................ Parablechnum

- Rhizomes erect, trunk-like; pinnae gradually reduced towards the base of the blade ................................................................... 10

10. Blades coriaceous, the veins hardly visible; apical pinnae not surcurrent; fronds concolorous or discolorous; costae not deeply sulcate .......................................................................................................................................................................... Lomariocycas

- Blades chartaceous, the veins clearly visible; apical pinnae surcurrent; fronds discolorous; costae deeply sulcate ........... Lomaria