Habit: Trunk generally 1, often thickened by fibrous mass of adventitious roots basally, generally with distinct, +- round or oblong leaf scars.
Leaf: generally 2-pinnate, stipe scales of various sizes, not intergrading with hairs or black spines, cells of +- 1 size, orientation (not clearly smaller, of different orientation on margin).
Sporangia: sori in 1 row on each side of pinnule lobe midvein.
Species In Genus: +- 100 species: +- worldwide, southern temperate, tropics (except Africa).
Etymology: (Greek: sphere, fern, for sori)
Jepson eFlora Author: Thomas J. Rosatti
Reference: Clark & Summers 2013 Madroño: in press
Index of California Plant Names (ICPN; linked via the Jepson Online Interchange)
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