Melpomene flabelliformis (Poir.) A.R.Sm. & R.C.Moran, Novon

Smith, Alan R., Kessler, Michael, León, Blanca, Almeida, Thaís Elias, Jiménez-Pérez, Iván & Lehnert, Marcus, 2018, Prodromus of a fern flora for Bolivia. XL. Polypodiaceae, Phytotaxa 354 (1), pp. 448-450 : 448-450

Melpomene flabelliformis (Poir.) A.R.Sm. & R.C.Moran, Novon 2(4): 430. 1992.

= Grammitis flabelliformis (Poir.) C.V.Morton, Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 38: 57. 1967.

Range: —Southern Mexico to Panama; Colombia to Venezuela and Bolivia (CO, LP, SC), southern and eastern Brazil; tropical Africa, Madagascar, and Réunion.

Ecology: —Uncommon; epiphytic or on moss-covered rocks in wet montane forests, cloud forests, paramos; 2300–4000 m.

Notes: —A species with two varieties; var. flabelliformis occupies the entire geographical range of the species; var. tepuiensis Lehnert is endemic to a few tepuis in eastern Venezuela ( Lehnert 2013). Melpomene flabelliformis is similar to M. moniliformis , especially the larger varieties var. adnata (Kunze) Lehnert from the northern Andes and Central America and var. subdicarpa (Fée) Lehnert from southeastern Brazil ( Lehnert 2013) but differs in having hairs abaxially on the rachises in fertile parts (vs. rachises without hairs in M. moniliformis ) and thinner, stronger iridescent rhizome scales. Other subtle differences are discussed by Lehnert (2013). Melpomene flabelliformis has been confused with M. peruviana , but is based on a misinterpretation by Tryon & Stolze (1993), who consequently redescribed the former as Grammitis andicola Stolze.