Lindsaea lancea

Smith, Alan R. & Kessler, Michael, 2017, Prodromus of a fern flora for Bolivia. XXV. Lindsaeaceae, Phytotaxa 332 (3), pp. 290-294 : 292

Lindsaea lancea (L.) Bedd., Suppl. Ferns Brit. India 6: 292. 1876.

Range:— West Indies; southern Mexico to Bolivia (BE, CO, LP, PA, SC), Paraguay, and southern Brazil.

Ecology:— Common; terrestrial in humid forests, where it mainly occurs in upland forests, unlike L. falcata , which is more common near streams ( Drucker et al. 2008); mostly below 1000 m, but to 1500 m. The Bolivian Chacobó Indians use a frond decoction to bathe hyper-active children.

Notes:— The Bolivian specimens are assigned to var. lancea . Petioles stramineous to nearly black, abaxially angled to winged; blades (1–)2-pinnate; rachises abaxially rounded or often with pale ridges or wings; pinnules 2–2½ times as long as broad; distal segments slightly reduced, not or only slightly connected to the adjacent segments; indusia entire, 0.2–0.3 mm wide.

Lindsaea portoricensis Desv., Ges. Naturf. Freunde Berlin Mag. Neuesten Entdeck. Gesammten Naturk. 5. 326. 1811.

Range:— Greater Antilles; southern Mexico to Bolivia (BE, CO, LP, SC), Paraguay, and southern Brazil.

Ecology:— Uncommon; terrestrial in humid forests and scrub, especially on sandy soil; to 900 m in Bolivia, to 1300 m elsewhere .

Notes:— Petioles brownish red to dark brown, abaxially rounded; blades 1- to 2-pinnate; rachises abaxially with irregularly interrupted pale, lateral wings; pinnules ca. 2 times longer than broad, the veins usually evident at least abaxially; distal segments gradually reduced; indusia strongly erose, ca. 0.3 mm wide. Lindsaea portoricensis has been subsumed under L. stricta by some (e.g., Moran 1995, in Mesoamerica), but maintained as distinct by most workers (e.g., Kramer 1957).