Meniscium andreanum Sodiro, Recens. Crypt. Vasc. Quit.

Smith, Alan R. & Kessler, Michael, 2017, Prodromus of a fern flora for Bolivia. XXX. Thelypteridaceae, Phytotaxa 331 (1), pp. 1-34 : 27

Meniscium andreanum Sodiro, Recens. Crypt. Vasc. Quit. 71. 1883.

= Thelypteris andreana (Sodiro) C.V.Morton, Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 38: 50. 1967.

= Meniscium ensiforme (C.Chr.) Pic.Serm., Webbia 23: 180. 1968. 1968.

= Thelypteris ensiformis (C.Chr.) R.M.Tryon, Rhodora 69(777): 5. 1967.

Range: — Honduras to Panama; Colombia to Bolivia (CO).

Ecology: —Rare, known from three Bolivian collections: Kessler et al. 7642, 11520, 12930 (UC); terrestrial in wet evergreen forests, along streams or in shady roadside ditches; 1300–1400 m.

Notes: —Distinct by the tubular orangish or yellowish glands in the sori, large fronds, glabrous rachis and costae abaxially, elliptic pinnae to 30 × 7 cm, these subentire or faintly crenulate, truncate to rounded pinna bases, and areoles about as long as wide. The sori are arcuate, in single rows on cross-veins between the main lateral veins, or sometimes paired on the cross-veins. Meniscium andreanum has similar glands to those of M. arcanum , but differs from that by basally rounded to truncate (vs. cuneate) pinnae, 5–15 (vs. 2–5) pinna pairs, 13–20 (vs. 7–10)-seriate areoles, and longer (usually> 1 m vs. <1 m long) leaves.

Fernandes (2015) synonymized M. ensiforme , heretofore regarded as distinct (e.g., by Maxon & Morton, 1938) under M. andreanum . We have noticed a bud in the axil of a proximal pinna on some specimens of M. andreanum from Ecuador (e.g., Pitman 1335, UC), but not on Bolivian specimens.