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Volume IV (1988) - Flora of New Zealand Naturalised Pteridophytes, Gymnosperms, Dicotyledons
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Pteris L.

PTERIS L.

Terrestrial ferns. Rhizomes erect to long-creeping, scaly. Fronds 1-5-pinnate; ultimate segments often elongated; veins free or anastomosing. Sori continuous along lamina margins on a vascular commissure connecting vein endings, bearing paraphyses, protected by strongly differentiated recurved lamina margins. Spores trilete.

Key

1
Primary pinnae mostly undivided, but lowest 1 or 2 pairs often forked
1. *cretica
Primary pinnae divided into secondary and usually tertiary pinnae
2
2
All veins of laminae free
tremula †
At least some veins anastomosing (usually those adjacent to midribs)
3
3
Laminae thick and firm, dark green; most secondary pinnae of lower primary pinnae at least partially adnate to midrib
aff comans †
Laminae thin and somewhat flaccid, pale green; most secondary pinnae of lower primary pinnae distinctly stalked
macilenta/saxatilis agg†

c. 200 spp., mostly tropical but some in temperate regions. Native spp. 4, naturalised 1.

The N.Z. Pteris spp. are currently being revised by J. E. Braggins. His investigations suggest that N.Z. plants previously referred to P. comans Forster f. are distinct from those in the tropical Pacific and require a new name, and that the P. macilenta/saxatilis agg. comprises 2 spp. whose nomenclature has been seriously confused. Rather than perpetuate this confusion, only an abbreviated key and description of the naturalised P. cretica are given here.

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