 |
|||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
A Key to the Pteridophytes of Moorea GROUP 6: Terrestrial with up to 1-pinnate-pinnatifid leaves |
||
| 1 | Petioles and blades thick, fleshy; fertile leaves divided into a blade-like portion without spores (i.e., trophophore) and a spike-like portion bearing spores (i.e., sporophore) that is borne adaxially on trophophore | Ophioglossum reticulatum |
| Petioles and blades not fleshy; fertile leaves not divided into trophophore and sporophore | 2 | |
| 2 | Blades fan-shaped, deeply cleft with dichotomous free veins | Schizaea dichotoma |
| Blades not as above | 3 | |
| 3 | Blades simple to pinnatifid; stipes with phyllopodia, articulate to rhizomes | 4 |
| Blades at least 1-pinnate; stipes lacking phyllopodia, not articulate to rhizomes | 8 | |
| 4 | Leaves simple | Microsorum punctatum |
| Leaves pinnatifid | 5 | |
| 5 | Sori in regular rows, each ca. 2-3 mm diam. | 6 |
| Sori not in regular rows, each ca. 1-2 mm diam. | 7 | |
| 6 | Leaves to ca. 2.5 m; sori deeply immersed, appearing as raised bumps on adaxial surfaces (blades embossed) | Microsorum membranifolium |
| Leaves no greater than 50 cm; sori not, or only shallowly immersed | Microsorum grossum | |
| 7 | Leaves rarely over 50 cm long; blade margins regular; sori superficial; rhizome scales round to oval | Microsorum commutatum |
| Leaves to over 1 m long; blade margins highly irregular; sori slightly sunken; rhizome scales ovate-lanceolate, tip attenuate | Microsorum x maximum | |
| 8 | Rhizomes long creeping; juvenile sterile leaves pinnate, mature sterile leaves 2-pinnate | Teratophyllum wilkesianum |
| Rhizomes short-creeping or erect; sterile leaves not dimorphic | 9 | |
| 9 | Underside of leaves covered in white powder (i.e., farina) | Pityrogramma calomelanos |
| Underside of leaves lacking white powder | 10 | |
| 10 | Midrib bearing many bulblets | Diplazium proliferum |
| Midrib lacking bulblets | 11 | |
| 11 | Sporangia spread over laminar surface (i.e., acrostichoid) | 12 |
| Sporangia clustered into discrete sori | 13 | |
| 12 | Plants terrestrial in forest understory; fertile and sterile leaves dimorphic | Bolbitis lonchophora |
| Plants terrestrial in wet ground near coast; fertile and sterile leaves similarly sized | Acrostichum aureum | |
| 13 | Sori linear or elongate | 14 |
| Sori round | 18 | |
| 14 | Sori elongate along secondary veins (not costae); pinnae with basiscopic base cut away in a smooth curve (i.e., excavate); pinna margins lobed or deeply serrate | 15 |
| Sori linear along whole length of costae; pinna bases same shape on both acroscopic and basiscopic sides; pinna margins entire or slightly serrate | 16 | |
| 15 | Rachis green; pinnae trapeziforme; sori at 45° angle to costae | Asplenium tenerum |
| Rachis brown to black; pinnae linear or lanceolate; sori slightly oblique, nearly parallel to costae | Asplenium caudatum | |
| 16 | Fertile and sterile leaves monomorphic; leaves to ca. 2 m | Blechnum orientale |
| Fertile and sterile leaves hemidimorphic or dimorphic; leaves no greater than ca. 1 m | 17 | |
| 17 | Pinnae adnate, gradually reducing in size near base; fertile and sterile leaves fully dimorphic | Blechnum raiateense |
| Pinnae stipitate, not reduced in size near base; fertile and sterile leaves hemidimorphic | Blechnum pacificum | |
| 18 | Rachises and stipes broadly alate to distal half of stipe; blades almost appearing pinnatifid | Tectaria decurrens |
| Rachises and stipes exalate; blades clearly at least 1-pinnate | 19 | |
| 19 | Blade tips indeterminate, never completely unfurling; pinnae articulate to rachis | 20 |
| Blade tips determinate; pinnae not articulate to rachis | 23 | |
| 20 | Middle pinnae less than 3 cm long, round at apex | Nephrolepis cordifolia |
| Middle pinnae more than 5 cm long, obtuse or acute at apex | 21 | |
| 21 | Pinnae margins crenate, pinna base not auriculate acroscopically | Nephrolepis biserrata |
| Pinnae margins entire or slightly crenate, pinna base auriculate acroscopically | 22 | |
| 22 | Stipe base scales spreading, dull | Nephrolepis exaltata |
| Stipe base scales appressed, shining | Nephrolepis hirsutula | |
| 23 | Round or clavate, yellow to orange, sessile glands or glandular hairs present on underside of laminae (need hand-lens or better magnification to see) | 24 |
| Such glands or glandular hairs absent | 28 | |
| 24 | Glandular hairs concentrated along veins and costules | 25 |
| Glands spread throughout laminar surfaces | 26 | |
| 25 | Glands sulfur-yellow, spherical | Amphineuron opulentum |
| Glands light yellow or orange, pear-shaped | Christella dentata | |
| 26 | Leaves very large, to ca. 1 m long; narrow, flat, reddish scales up to 2 cm long densely covering base of stipes, less dense toward rachis, often breaking and leaving spine-like bases on stipes | Chingia longissima |
| Leaves not this large; such scales not present | 27 | |
| 27 | Wide (to ca. 3 mm) papery scales present at stipe bases, diminishing in size and number distally; all veins completely free | Coryphopteris sp. |
| Such scales not present; at least basalmost pair of veins from costules of adjacent pinna lobes anastomosing | Sphaerostephanos subpectinatus | |
| 28 | Stipes bearing several prominent aerophores, each with a minute green rim at the base; lower laminar surfaces glabrous | Pneumatopteris mesocarpa |
| Aerophores absent or inconspicuous; hairs present on lower laminar surfaces, veins, and costules | 29 | |
| 29 | Basalmost pinna pair usually reduced in size; several pairs of veins from costules of adjacent pinna-lobes uniting to form an excurrent vein to the sinus between the two lobes (or, only the basal pair uniting and the next 2 to 3 pairs coming to the sides of a long translucent sinus-membrane; see also P. mesocarpa, which is distinguished by glabrous lower laminar surfaces) | Sphaerostephanos invisus |
| Basal pinnae not reduced; all veins free | 30 | |
| 30 | Leaves to ca. 1 m long; pinnae to ca. 25 x 4 cm; basal basiscopic lobes of middle and distal pinnae greatly reduced | Plesioneuron attenuatum |
| Leaves not exceeding ca. 60 cm; pinnae to ca. 8 x 2 cm; basal basiscopic lobes not reduced | Plesioneuron sp. |
|