Polystichum polyphyllum (C.Presl) C.Presl, Tent. Pterid.

Kessler, Michael, Moran, Robbin C., Mickel, John T., Matos, Fernando B. & Smith, Alan R., 2018, Prodromus of a fern flora for Bolivia. XXXV. Dryopteridaceae, Phytotaxa 353 (1), pp. 448-450 : 448-450

Polystichum polyphyllum (C.Presl) C.Presl, Tent. Pterid. 83. 1836.

Range: —High mountains from southern Mexico to Bolivia (CO, LP).

Ecology: —Common; terrestrial and saxicolous, often growing among rocks and in rock crevices, in humid forest habitats as well as near and above treeline; (2000–) 2800–4100 m.

Notes: —For additional comments, see P. orbiculatum , with which this species has usually been combined. Generally, P. polyphyllum is more coriaceous, with more decidedly inrolled pinnules, and more numerous oblong (vs. orbicular) pinnule-pairs per pinna than P. orbiculatum . It also seems to be more common than P. orbiculatum in Bolivia. McHenry & Barrington (2014) included a single specimen (from Ecuador) in their analysis.

Two additional rather similar and possibly related species were included in an analysis by McHenry & Barrington (2014): P. gelidum (see comments under P. lehmannii ) and P. pycnolepis (Kunze) T.Moore. Both of these have Venezuelan types, which we have seen. We are uncertain of their differences from P. polyphyllum , or their circumscription and range, and it seems prudent to await more definitive studies before including them in a treatment of Bolivian Polystichum . Lectotypification of P. pycnolepis was accomplished by Morero et al. (2016), based on a specimen from Edo. Aragua, Venezuela.

McHenry & Barrington (2014) also included a Bolivian specimen identified as P. sodiroi Christ , type from Ecuador. This species is somewhat similar to P. polyphyllum but generally more dissected, 3-pinnate or nearly so, with small, somewhat rounded, coriaceous ultimate segments. We have seen no Bolivian material that matches P. sodiroi and so do not include it in our treatment. For Peru, Tryon & Stolze (1991) treated P. polyphyllum as a synonym of P. orbiculatum var. boboense (Hieron.) R.M.Tryon , but we think that both taxa are distinct, and further that Polystichum boboense Hieron. should be treated as species, separate from P. orbiculatum .