Pleopeltis bombycina (Maxon) Smith

Souza, Filipe Soares De & Salino, Alexandre, 2021, Pleopeltis (Polypodiaceae) in Brazil, Phytotaxa 512 (4), pp. 213-256 : 222-223

4. Pleopeltis bombycina (Maxon) Smith in Kessler & Smith (2005: 281). Figs. 2H–O , 7D , 20E,J . Polypodium bombycinum Maxon (1916: 592) . Type:— COLOMBIA. Valle del Cauca [as Cali]: Western Cordillera, Boquerón del río Dagua , 300–1000 m, F.C. Lehmann 7666 (holotype, US!, isotype GH! image)

Plants epiphytic. Rhizomes short-creeping, with scales lanceolate, stramineous to light brown, base cordate to sagittate with a brown point of attachment, apex acuminate, margin stramineous and erose to laciniate; fronds monomorphic, 13–56 × 1.5–5 cm, petiolate, petioles short, terete, 0.5–2 cm long, without wings; laminae 12–54 cm long, linear to lanceolate, base gradually reduced, apex acuminate, pinnatifid, pinnae 20–65 pairs, proximal 6–10 pairs reduced, medial pinnae 0.7–2.5 × 0.3–0.6 cm, linear to deltate, base adnate to the rachises, auricle present, apex rounded to acuminate, margins entire, hydathodes present; venation anastomosing; frond scales with base rounded and longacuminate to the filiform apex, brown in those from the axes, stramineous to hyaline in those from the laminar surfaces, base with a brown to dark brown point of attachment, margin stramineous to rarely brown in those from the rachises, and laciniate to dentate; sori rounded, medial, covered by scales; spores papillate with dense globules.

Selected specimens examined: — BRAZIL. Acre: Cruzeiro do Sul, Alemanha, 29 July 1972, I. Francisca s.n. (RB 546364); Mâncio Lima , Parque Nacional da Serra do Divisor , 14 December 2010, T.E. Almeida & A. Salino 2627 ( BHCB) . Amazonas: Boca do Acre, Floresta Nacional do Purus, 7 December 2009, M. Silveira 4236 (RB, SP); Coari , Região do Urucú , July 1991, C. Freitas 385 ( SJRP) ; Manacapuru , 20 January 2008, H. Tuomisto 15199 ( SP) ; Manaus, Reserva Florestal Ducke, 9 February 1995, M.J.G. Hopkins 1536 (K, SP); Presidente Figueiredo, Estrada do Pau Rosa , 1 October 1998, C.A.A. Freitas 644 ( BHCB, INPA) ; Balbina , 6 February 2008, J. Prado 1923 ( SP) ; Santa Isabel do Rio Negro, Estrada do Tibarrá , 29 September 1999, C.A.A. Freitas 704 ( SP) . Mato Grosso: Alto Taquarí, Rodovia MT-100, 21 February 1994, M.R. Silva 1230 ( SPF) ; Cotriguaçu, Fazenda São Nicolau , 06 March 2011, M.C. Vilela- Santos 4811 ( CNMT) ; Novo Mundo, RPPN Lote Cristalino , 05 June 2007, G.S. Henicka 85 ( SPF) . Mato Grosso do Sul: Corumbá , 15 September 1999, E.L.M. Assis 58 ( BHCB) . Pará: Estrada Santarém-Cuiabá, BR 163, Km 1222, 21 May 1983, M.N.F. Silva 387 ( NY) ; Itaituba, estrada Santarém-Cuiabá , 21 May 1983, M.N. Silva 387 (K) . Rondônia: Ariquemes, Mineração Mibrasa, 12 May 1982, L.O.A. Teixeira 369 ( BHCB, INPA, K); Jaci Paraná , Cachoeira de Jirau , 22 March 2010, G. Pereira-Silva 15112 ( CEN, HUEFS) ; Porto Velho, Margem Esquerda do Rio Madeira , 2 December 2009, N.C. Bigio 86 ( CEN) ; Vilhena, Fazenda Flor da Serra , 20 May 1984, C.S. Rosário 442 ( MG) .

Roraima: Pacaraiama, Cordilheira Pacaraima , 20 September 1979, N.A. Rosa 3506 ( INPA); Serra dos Surucucus, 18 February 1969, G.T. Prance 10047 ( INPA, NY) .

Distribution and habitat: — Panama, Bolivia, Colombia, Guyana, and Venezuela. In Brazil, it occurs mainly in the Amazonian region in the states of Acre, Amazonas, Maranhão, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Pará, Rondônia, and Roraima, between 100–800 m ( Fig. 3D ).

Notes: —This species can be easily recognized by the presence of scales with base rounded and long-acuminate to the filiform apex on all parts of the lamina, short petioles, and gradually reduced lamina bases. In Brazil, it can be confused with P. monoides , but can be differentiated by the shape of the pinnae at the lamina base, which are linear in P. bombycina and deltoid in P. monoides . Pleopeltis bombycina generally has smaller scales on the laminar tissue compared to P. monoides .

De la Sota (1966) noted a possible difference between collections from the eastern part of the species’ distribution compared to the type material, but also affirmed that due to intermediate forms these morphotypes could not be separated into different species. The collections from Brazil are slightly different compared to those from the Andes. Additional studies are needed .

Figures

FIGURE 2. A–G. Pleopeltis aturensis. A. Habit; B. Rhizome scale; C. Petiole scale; D. Adaxial rachis scale; E. Abaxial rachis scale; F. Adaxial laminar scale; G. Abaxial laminar scale. H–O. P. bombycina. H. Habit, I. Rhizome scale; J. Petiole scale; K. Adaxial rachis scale; L. Abaxial rachis scale; M.Adaxial laminar scale; N. Abaxial laminar scale; O. Sorus scale.

FIGURE 3. Distribution of four species of Pleopeltis in Brazil. A. P. alborufula; B. P. astrolepis; C. P. aturensis; D. P. bombycina.

FIGURE 7. Spores of nine species of Pleopeltis from Brazil. A. P. alborufula; B. P. astrolepis; C. P. aturensis; D. P. bombycina; E. P. burchellii; F. P. desvauxii; G. P. furcata; H. P. gyroflexa; I. P. hirsutissima. Scale bar = 20 mm

FIGURE 20. Laminar scales of eight species of Pleopeltis from Brazil. A. P. alborufula, abaxial scale; B. P. burchelii, abaxial scale; C–D. P. minima, abaxial scales; E. P. bombycina, abaxial scale; F. P. trindadensis, abaxial scale; G. P. hirsutissima, abaxial scale; H. P. lepidopteris, abaxial scale; I. P. minarum, abaxial scale; J. P. bombycina, adaxial scale; K. P. lepidopteris, adaxial scale; L. P. minarum, adaxial scale; M–N. P. alborufula, adaxial scales.