Dicksoniaceae

Fossil frond of Coniopteris hymenophylloides, from here.

Belongs within: Leptosporangiatae.

The Dicksoniaceae are a group of mostly terrestrial (occasionally epiphytic) ferns, most of which are tree ferns though some have creeping rhizomes. They are distinguished from other tree ferns in the Cyatheaceae by having hairs rather than scales on the trunk. Members of the Dicksoniaceae are found in the tropics, as well as temperate regions of the Southern Hemisphere.

Characters (from Large & Braggins 2004): Generally with rhizome forming tree-like trunk. Covering of long tapering hairs composed of cells arranged end to end. Fronds may be 1-3 m in length. Sori positioned towards margins of pinnules, taking form of elongate or rounded receptacles. Sorus enclosed by thin indusium and small reflexed lobe of frond lamina. Spores rounded-triangular (trilete).

<==Dicksoniaceae
    |--Cibotium barometz (Linnaeus) Smith 1842 [=Polypodium barometz Linnaeus 1753] I88
    |--Haydenia Seward 1912 BO02
    |    `--H. thyrsopteroides BO02
    |--Culcita J87
    |    |--C. coniifolia J87
    |    `--C. straminea H03
    |--Dicksonia L’Heritier 1788 A61
    |    |--D. antarctica PS01
    |    |--D. externa HRS06
    |    |--D. fibrosa Colenso 1846 (see below for synonymy) A61
    |    |--D. lanata Colenso 1846 [incl. D. laevis Heward in Hook. f. 1846] A61
    |    `--D. squarrosa (Forst. f.) Swartz 1806 (see below for synonymy) A61
    `--Coniopteris BO02
         |--C. dicksonioides SS04
         |--C. hymenophylloides F71
         |    |--C. h. var. hymenophyloides F71
         |    `--C. h. var. australica F71
         `--C. manamanensis BO02

Nomina nuda: Dicksonia lanata Colenso 1845 C45

Dicksonia fibrosa Colenso 1846 [incl. D. intermedia Colenso ex Hook. & Baker 1873, D. microcarpa Colenso 1888, D. sparrmanniana Colenso 1880] A61

Dicksonia squarrosa (Forst. f.) Swartz 1806 [=Trichomanes squarrosum Forst. f. 1786; incl. D. gracilis Colenso 1883] A61

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[A61] Allan, H. H. 1961. Flora of New Zealand vol. 1. Indigenous Tracheophyta: Psilopsida, Lycopsida, Filicopsida, Gymnospermae, Dicotyledones. R. E. Owen, Government Printer: Wellington (New Zealand).

[BO02] Barale, G., & M. Ouaja. 2002. La biodiversité végétale des gisements d’âge Jurassique supérieur-Crétacé inférieur de Merbah El Asfer (Sud-Tunisien). Cretaceous Research 23: 707-737.

[C45] Colenso, W. 1845. Memoranda of an excursion, made in the Northern Island of New Zealand, in the summer of 1841-2; intended as a contribution towards the natural productions of the New Zealand groupe: with particular reference to their botany (concluded). Tasmanian Journal of Natural Science 2: 241-308.

[F71] Fletcher, H. O. 1971. Catalogue of type specimens of fossils in the Australian Museum, Sydney. Australian Museum Memoir 13: 1-167.

[HRS06] Hahn, I., U. Römer & R. P. Schlatter. 2006. Population numbers and status of land birds of the Juan Fernández Archipelago, Chile (Aves: Falconiformes, Columbiformes, Strigiformes, Caprimulgiformes, Passeriformes). Senckenbergiana Biologica 86 (1): 109-125.

[H03] Heads, M. 2003. Ericaceae in Malesia: Vicariance biogeography, terrane tectonics and ecology. Telopea 10 (1): 311-449.

[I88] Iwatsuki, K. 1988. An enumeration of the pteridophytes of Nepal. In The Himalayan Plants vol. 1 (H. Ohba & S. B. Malla, eds) The University Museum, University of Tokyo, Bulletin 31: 231-339.

[J87] Judd, W. S. 1987. Floristic study of Morne La Visite and Pic Macaya National Parks, Haiti. Bulletin of the Florida State Museum—Biological Sciences 32 (1): 1-136.

Large, M. F., & J. E. Braggins. 2004. Tree Ferns. CSIRO Publishing.

[PS01] Pryer, K. M., A. R. Smith, J. S. Hunt & J. Y. Dubuisson. 2001. rbcL data reveal two monophyletic groups of filmy ferns (Filicopsida: Hymenophyllaceae). American Journal of Botany 88 (6): 1118-1130.

[SS04] Schneider, H., E. Schuettpelz, K. M. Pryer, R. Cranfill, S. Magallón & R. Lupia. 2004. Ferns diversified in the shadow of angiosperms. Nature 428: 553-557.