Pleopeltis furcata

Souza, Filipe Soares De & Salino, Alexandre, 2021, Pleopeltis (Polypodiaceae) in Brazil, Phytotaxa 512 (4), pp. 213-256 : 224-228

7. Pleopeltis furcata (L.) Smith in Smith & Tejero-Diéz (2014: 46). Figs. 4E–G , 7G , 18B . Pteris furcata Linnaeus (1753: 1073) . Dicranoglossum furcatum (L.) Smith in Seemann (1854: 232) Type— BOLIVIA. Polo-Polo bei Coroico, Nordyungas, altura sobre el mar 1100 m, 09 October 1912, O. Buchtien s.n. (holotype, E! image)

Plants epiphytic or epipetric. Rhizomes short-creeping, with scales lanceolate, blackish, base rounded, apex acuminate, margin entire; fronds monomorphic, 12–50 × 5–13 cm sessile to short-petiolate, petioles terete, 0–1 cm long., alate, glabrous; laminae with 12–49 cm long, furcate, obtriangular, base attenuate, apex obtuse to truncate; rachises terete, glabrous; segments 7–15 × 0.4–1.3cm, sparsely scaly on both surfaces; venation free, furcate to eventually anastomosing near to the costae; frond scales, ovate to widely-lanceolate, blackish, base rounded, apex acute, margin hyaline and erose; sori linear, marginal, glabrous; spores shallowly verrucate with sparse globules.

Selected specimens examined: — BRAZIL. Bahia: Jussari, RPPN Serra do Teimoso. , 2 November 2002, A. Salino 8176 ( BHCB) ; Una , 21 April 1999, M. Barradas-Paciencia 399 ( SP) . Espírito Santo: Cariacica, Reserva Biológica Duas Bocas , 21 October 2008, P. Labiak 5024 ( CEPEC) ; Santa Tereza, Reserva Biológica Augusto Ruschi , 30 July 2002, R.R. Vervloet 596 ( BHCB) . Minas Gerais: Almenara , 28 February 2004, A. Salino 9369 ( BHCB) ; Descoberto, Reserva Biológica da Represa do Grama , 26 November 2000, R. C. Forzza 1723 ( SP) ; Santa Maria do Salto, Distrito de Talismã , 23 August 2003, J.A. Lombardi 5461 ( BHCB) . Paraná: Ilha do Mel , Baia de Paranaguá, May 1949, R. Hertel s.n. (RB 688699) . Pernambuco: Bonito, Mata da Reserva Biológica Municipal de Bonito , 31 October 2000, A. Santiago 322 ( BHCB) ; São Vicente Férrer, Complexo da Serra do Mascarenhas , 22 February 1999, M.R.P. Silva 4526 ( BHCB, SP) . São Paulo: Cananéia, Ilha do Cardoso , 2 June 1982, F. Barros 730 ( SP) ; Eldorado, Parque Estadual do Jacupiranga , 28 March 2005, A. Salino 10268 ( BHCB) ; Juquiá, Reserva Votorantim , 28 March 2013, T.E. Almeida 3214 ( BHCB) ; Sete Barras, Parque Estadual Carlos Botelho , 24 September 2002, V.A.O. Dittrich 1163 ( BHCB) ; Ubatuba, Parque Estadual da Serra do Mar , 10 November 1993, A. Salino 1850 ( BHCB) .

Distribution and habitat: — Cuba, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela. In Brazil, this species occurs in the states of Alagoas, Bahia, Pernambuco, Sergipe, Espírito Santo, Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, and Paraná ( Fig. 6B ), mainly in the forest formations of the Atlantic Forest Domain. Rarely found above 1000 m elevation.

Notes: —This species can be recognized by its large size (12–50 cm long), compared to P. desvauxii (8–20 cm long), and by its free and furcate veins, which eventually form areolae near the costae (versus totally anastomosed veins in P. desvauxii ).

Figures

FIGURE 4. A–D. Pleopeltis desvauxii. A. Habit; B. Rhizome scale; C.Abaxial rachis scale; D. Abaxial laminar scale. E–G. P. furcata. E. Habit; F. Rhizome scale; G. Abaxial laminar scale.

FIGURE 6. Distribution of four species of Pleopeltis in Brazil. A. P. desvauxii; B. P. furcata; C. P. gyroflexa; D. P. hirsutissima.

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 18. Venation and sori of four species of Pleopeltis from Brazil. A. P. desvauxii, anastomosing veins; B. P. furcata, free veins; C. P. hirsutissima, two sori surrounded by scales; D. P. macrocarpa, sorus covered by peltate scales; E. P. astrolepis, sorus covered by peltate scales; F. P. desvauxii, linear marginal sori; G. P. hirsutissima, immature sorus covered by peltate scales; H. P. hirsutissima, mature sorus surrounded by peltate scales.