Ptisana boivinii (Mett. ex Kuhn) Senterre & Rouhan, 2014

Senterre, Bruno, Rouhan, Germinal, Fabre, Isabelle, Morel, Charles & Christenhusz, Maarten J. M., 2014, Revision of the fern family Marattiaceae in the Seychelles with two new species and a discussion of the African Ptisana fraxinea complex., Phytotaxa 158 (1), pp. 57-75 : 69-70

Ptisana boivinii (Mett. ex Kuhn) Senterre & Rouhan , comb. nov.

Marattia boivinii Mett. ex Ettingshausen (1864: 246) , as ‘ Boivini’.

Type:— MADAGASCAR. Without locality, without date, Boivin s.n. (possible holotype L , isotype P-00466552 ! ).

This species is poorly known but very characteristic. It is a relatively small plant, ca. 1 m high or less, with a petiole ca. 30–50 cm and few pairs of pinnae (1–4), the lamina is shorter or slightly longer than the petiole. It is easily recognized by the synangia placed nearly mid-way between the margin and the midvein. The pinnules are narrowly elliptic, not acuminate at apex and clearly petiolulate. We do not know other Ptisana species that are morphologically similar.

Distribution: — Ptisana boivinii is known from a few specimens collected in southern Madagascar at Sainte Marie (Boivin 1605, P-01592077!, P-01592078!, P-01592079!).