Pleopeltis gyroflexa (Christ) Schwartsburd (2014: 17)

Souza, Filipe Soares De & Salino, Alexandre, 2021, Pleopeltis (Polypodiaceae) in Brazil, Phytotaxa 512 (4), pp. 213-256 : 228

8. Pleopeltis gyroflexa (Christ) Schwartsburd (2014: 17) . Figs. 5A–E , 7H , 17C . Polypodium gyroflexum Christ (1898: 994) . Type:— BRAZIL. Ceará: Serra de Baturité, Guaramiranga, epiphyte sur les caféiers, [“Auf Cafeträuchern häufig”], September 1897, J. Huber s.n. (lectotype: P! image designated by Schwartsburd (2014), isolectotype: MG! image)

Pleopeltis repanda Smith. (1990: 259) . Type:— VENEZUELA. Bolívar: Altiplanicie Nuria , upper part of westfacing wooded slopes, E of Miamo, 300–500 m, 8 January 1961, J.A. Steyermark 88177 (holotype, UC, isotype: US! image).

Plant s epiphytic or epipetric. Rhizomes short-creeping, with scales lanceolate, blackish, base rounded, apex attenuate, margins erose to denticulate; fronds subdimorphic to holodimorphic, 25–42 × 1.3–2cm, petiolate, petiole angulate, 4–6 cm long, without wings, glabrous; laminae 21–38 cm long simple, linear-lanceolate, base attenuate, apex acuminate to acute, margin repand, sparsely scaly on both surfaces; rachises terete, glabrous; venation anastomosing; frond scales lanceolate to widely-ovate, brown to dark brown, base rounded with a blackish point of attachment, apex acuminate, margin brown and entire to denticulate; sori oblong, submarginal, glabrous; spores papillate with globules.

Selected specimens examined: — BRAZIL. Alagoas: Murici, Estação Ecológica de Murici, 07 May 2009, A.F.N. Pereira 1109 ( UFP); São José da Lage , Usina Serra Grande, 19 December 2000, M.R. Pietrobom s.n. ( UFP 33438) .

Bahia: Bananeiras, Cachoeira, Vale dos Rios Paraguaçu e Jacuípe , December 1980, G.P. Cavalo 979 ( ALCB, HUEFS) ; Jeremoabo, Fazenda Natureza , 12 August 2005, E.B . Miranda 901 ( HUEFS) ; Santa Terezinha, Recôncavo Sul , 25 October 2010, M.L. Guedes 17847 ( ALCB, VIES) ; Serra da Jibóia , 31 October 2009, T.S. Macedo 175 ( HUEFS) ; Varzedo, Recôncavo Sul , 7 December 2015, M.L. Guedes 24271 ( ALCB) . Ceará: Pacatuba, Serra de Pacatuba , 22 July 1997, M. Almeida-Neto 206 ( HUEFS) ; Pará: 1898, Canceolak s.n. (K). Paraíba: Areia, Brejo Paraibano , 9 December 2011, E. Melo 10720 ( HUEFS) . Pernambuco: Bezerros, Serra Negra-Sítio Frexeiras , 30 July 1999, S.R.S. Xavier 25 ( UFP) . Roraima: Cordilheira Pacaraima , 24 September 1979, N.A. Rosa 3538 ( MG) . Sergipe: Riachão do Dantas , 18 November 1985, G. Viana 1204 ( UFP) .

Distribution and habitat: — Venezuela and Guyana. In Brazil, this species occurs in the forest formations of Amazon and Atlantic Forest of the Northeast in the states of Alagoas, Bahia, Ceará, Pará, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Roraima, and Sergipe ( Fig. 6C ).

Notes: —This species can be recognized by its repand margins of the fertile lamina and large fronds (25–42 × 1.3– 2 cm). Younger individuals can be confused with P. macrocarpa because they lack a clearly repand margin. However, they can be differentiated by the lamina scales that are widely ovate in P. gyroflexa and lanceolate in P. macrocarpa .

As observed by Schwartsburd (2014), this species has a disjunct documented distribution in the country with populations in Amazonian forest in the state of Roraima and Atlantic Forest in states in the Northeast Region. With intermittent areas under-investigated, it is possible that the actual distribution of this species is continuous from the Guiana Shield to Northeastern Brazil.

Figures

FIGURE 5. A–E. Pleopeltis gyroflexa. A. Habit; B. Rhizome scale; C. Petiole scale; D. Abaxial rachis scale; E. Abaxial laminar scale. F–O. P. hirsutissima. F. Habit; G. Rhizome scale; H. Petiole scale; I. Adaxial rachis scale; J–K. Abaxial rachis scale; L. Adaxial laminar scale; M. Abaxial laminar scale; O. Sorus scale.

FIGURE 6. Distribution of four species of Pleopeltis in Brazil. A. P. desvauxii; B. P. furcata; C. P. gyroflexa; D. P. hirsutissima.

FIGURE 7. Spores of nine species of Pleopeltis from Brazil. A. P. alborufula; B. P. astrolepis; C. P. aturensis; D. P. bombycina; E. P. burchellii; F. P. desvauxii; G. P. furcata; H. P. gyroflexa; I. P. hirsutissima. Scale bar = 20 mm

FIGURE 17. Rhizome scales of seven species of Pleopeltis from Brazil. A. P. burchelii, rhizome; B. P. minima, rhizome; C. P. gyroflexa; D. P. stolzei; E. P. minima; F. P. macrocarpa; G. P. bombycina; H. P. monoides; I. P. stolzei; J. P. burchelii.