Alsophila odonelliana (Alston) Lehnert, Brittonia

Lehnert, Marcus & Kessler, Michael, 2018, Prodromus of a fern flora for Bolivia. XX. Cyatheaceae, Phytotaxa 334 (2), pp. 118-134 : 122

Alsophila odonelliana (Alston) Lehnert, Brittonia 57(3): 231. 2005.

= Alsophila elata O.G.Martínez, Brittonia 67(1): 49. 2014 [2015].

Range: —Central Bolivia ( CH, CO, SC, TR) to northwestern Argentina.

Ecology: —Restricted to the semidecidous Tucuman –Bolivian forest in northern Argentina and Bolivia north to the Andean deflection, but often in large colonies; 1200–2500 m.

Notes: —This species can form extensive clonal colonies by adventitious shoots that originate from the trunk base. These shoots usually grow first horizontally in the soil before emerging some distance from the mother plant. Martínez (2015) separated Alsophila elata from A. odonelliana but we are skeptical of the distinguishing characters as they may be related to environmental factors. Both species are restricted to the semidecidous Tucuman –Bolivian forest and capable of clonal growth, with the larger A. “elata ” occurring in the valleys near watercourses whereas the smaller A. odonelliana is found more on the slopes and hills. The claim that A. elata differs in not retaining old petiole bases on the trunk is not supported by the illustration or photograph provided, in which most of the plants show the characteristic pattern formed by retained petiole bases as observed in A. odonelliana ( Lehnert 2005) . The other distinguishing characters of A. “elata ” (larger sori, higher indusium walls, denser and more varied indument than in A. odonelliana ) may be related to larger size that the plants may attain through the higher sun exposure at the spots with steady water supply that they seem to need ( Martínez 2015).

Martínez (2015) listed Alsophila incana (H.Karst) D.S.Conant as synonym of this species, but it is a different species from the northern and central Andes ( Lehnert 2005).