Elaphoglossum

Vasco, A., 2011, Taxonomic revision of Elaphoglossum subsection Muscosa (Dryopteridaceae), Blumea 56 (2), pp. 165-202 : 168-169

Elaphoglossum subsection Muscosa Mickel & Atehortúa

Elaphoglossum subsect. Muscosa Mickel & Atehortúa (1980) 62. — Type: Acrostichum muscosum Sw. [= Elaphoglossum muscosum (Sw.) T.Moore ].

Plants epiphytic, terrestrial or saxicolous. Rhizome short- to long-creeping, erect or compact; rhizome scales orange to dark brown, basally attached (sometimes appearing peltate because of the large auricles), entire to long-ciliate, marginal teeth acicular. Sterile leaves (4.5–)10 –55(– 63) cm long, approximate to 2 cm apart, erect; phyllopodia present (sometimes obscured by the petiole base); petiole scaly, scales flat, marginal teeth acicular; lamina simple, linear-lanceolate to oblanceolate, base broadly cuneate to rounded, apex obtuse (less frequent acute); veins free, simple to 2-forked; hydathodes absent; laminar scales frequently different from those of the rhizomes or the petioles, abundant to scattered, base sessile or stalked, marginal teeth acicular. Fertile leaves longer, with narrower blades, and proportionally with longer petioles than the sterile leaves; intersporangial scales generally present. Spores (55–)70– 90 µm, monolete, green, with papillae or irregular deposits.

Key to the species of

Elaphoglossum subsection Muscosa

1. Larger petiole scales ciliate, the teeth well differentiated from the body, often as long as or longer than the width of the scale (especially in the distal half of the scale)........ 2

1. Larger petiole scales entire, denticulate, erose, or laciniate, the teeth when present often shorter than the width of the scale (especially in the distal half of the scale)........ 9

2. Petioles 1/6 –1/3 the length of the sterile leaves. — Brazil............................... 5. E. gardnerianum

2. Petioles 2/5 – 2/3 the length of the sterile leaves. — Guatemala, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia....................... 3

3. Abaxial laminar scales present, funnel-shaped throughout (without flattened body), patent, the base inrolled; petiole and laminar scales of the sterile and fertile leaves when bicolorous with dark apex (including the cilia) and lighter base and point of attachment......... 7. E. laxisquama

3. Abaxial laminar scales present or absent, when present round, ovate, oblanceolate, or lanceolate with the body flat, slightly elevated above the surface of the lamina, the base cordate or stalked; petiole and laminar scales of the sterile and fertile leaves when bicolorous mottled or with dark centre or point of attachment, and lighter margin and cilia (those never darker than the centre of the scale)............ 4

4. Abaxial laminar scales absent or present but not imbricate............................................. 5

4. Abaxial laminar scales present, imbricate............ 6

5. Abaxial costal scales pointing forward to the apex or at right angles, slightly elevated, orange to dark-brown or mottled with lighter margin or darker at the point of attachment; intersporangial scales absent........ 6. E. glabrescens

5. Abaxial costal scales pointing forward to the apex, not elevated, dark-brown to black; intersporangial scales present............................ 10. E. novogranatense

6. Rhizomes compact; spores without ridges.............................................14. E. ruficomum

6. Rhizomes short- to long-creeping; spores with ridges... 7

7. Rhizome scales denticulate; abaxial costal scales pointing forward to the apex, becoming spreading towards the base, not elevated, always darker and very well differentiated from the laminar scales................. 12. E. oreophilum

7. Rhizome scales denticulate to more commonly ciliate; abaxial costal scales pointing forward to the apex or more typically at right angles, slightly elevated, generally the same colour or slightly darker than the laminar scales...... 8

8. Rhizome scales ciliate, cilia up to 0.4 mm long; spores with irregular deposits. — Central and South America......................................... 4. E. engelii

8. Rhizome scales denticulate to ciliate, cilia up to 0.6 mm long; spores papillate. — Dominican Republic.................................... 13. E. quisqueyanum

9. Rhizome scales denticulate to ciliate, teeth numerous, 0.2– 0.6 mm long.................. 13. E. quisqueyanum

9. Rhizome scales entire to denticulate, teeth absent to sparse, less than 0.2 mm long................... 10

10. Rhizomes long-creeping; leaves 1–2 cm apart...... 11

10. Rhizomes compact, erect, or short-creeping; leaves approximate to 1 cm apart........................ 12

11. Rhizomes 3– 5 mm wide; petiole and abaxial laminar scales with the cells of the body differentiated with the central portion formed of irregular, isodiametric cells, and the broad border formed of elongated cells that have their long axis perpendicular to that of the scale (use magnification), laciniate to long-ciliate............. 12. E. oreophilum

11. Rhizomes 1–3 mm wide; petiole and abaxial laminar scales with isodiametric cells, erose to ciliate.... 15. E. yatesii

12. Abaxial laminar scales (at least some) highly dissected, the cilia longer than the width of the scale; larger petiole scales oblanceolate to ovate; spores papillate, ridged 13

12. Abaxial laminar scales absent or present, when present, lanceolate to round (without well-developed cilia), when ciliate, the cilia as long as or less than the width of the scale; larger petiole scales linear-lanceolate to lanceolate; spores papillate, without ridges.................. 14

13. Laminar scales 0.5– 2.5 mm; abaxial costal scales light-brown. — Ecuador.............. 3. E. corderoanum

13. Laminar scales 0.2 –0.5 mm; abaxial costal scales dark-brown or mottled with white margin. — Peru.......................................... 11. E. oculatum

14. Abaxial costal scales oblanceolate to round; abaxial laminar scales absent to scattered, when present never obscuring the surface of the laminae; small petiole scales not obscured by the larger ones, not imbricate; phyllopodia easily seen, not obscured by the basal petiole scales....................................... 1. E. aschersonii

14. Abaxial costal scales lanceolate to round; abaxial laminar scales absent to dense, when present sometimes obscuring the surface of the laminae; small petiole scales mostly obscured by the larger ones, imbricate; phyllopodia usually obscured by the petiole-base scales.............. 15

15. Abaxial costal scales of sterile and fertile leaves mostly basally sessile, thus the scale body not elevated above the surface of the lamina; rhizome scales with acuminate apex; petiole and laminar scales usually bicolorous or mottled with white margin...... 2. E. bellermannianum

15. Abaxial costal scales of sterile and fertile leaves mostly basally stalked, thus the scale body elevated above the surface of the lamina; rhizome scales with filiform apex (often broken); petiole and laminar scales usually concolorous, when bicolorous only darker at the point of attachment 16

16. Rhizome scales orange to dark-brown, denticulate, the teeth 0.1– 0.2 mm long. — Costa Rica, Panama, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador................ 8. E. lehmannianum

16. Rhizome scales reddish orange, entire or occasionally denticulate, the teeth when present less than 0.1 mm long. — Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Brazil 9. E. muscosum 169