Meniscium arborescens Humb. & Bonpl. ex Willd., Sp. Pl.

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

Meniscium arborescens Humb. & Bonpl. ex Willd., Sp. Pl. , ed. 4 [Willdenow] 5: 133. 1810.

= Thelypteris arborescens (Humb. & Bonpl. ex Willd.) C.V.Morton, Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 38: 50. 1967.

= Meniscium salzmannii Fée, Mém. Foug. 5: 223 (Gen. Fil.). 1852.

= Thelypteris salzmannii (Fée) C.V.Morton, Los Angeles County Mus. Contr. Sci. 35: 7. 1960.

= Meniscium standleyi (Maxon & C.V.Morton) Pic.Serm., Webbia 23: 181. 1968.

= Thelypteris standleyi (Maxon & C.V.Morton) R.M.Tryon, Rhodora 69(777): 8. 1967.

Range: —Southern Mexico to Panama, Colombia to Suriname and Bolivia (CO, LP, SC), Brazil, Paraguay.

Ecology: —Uncommon; terrestrial in humid forests, along streams and in swamps; 100–1100(1550) m.

Notes: —Variable, perhaps comprising a species complex. The name accepted here was considered of uncertain application by Maxon & Morton (1938); Meniscium standleyi has also been questioned as a good species by several authors (e.g., Smith, 1995). Fernandes (2015) clarified the typification of M. arborescens and considerably expanded its circumscription and range; as newly defined, it (along with M. serratum ) is one of the most widespread and common species in the genus.

Sporangia sometimes appear acrostichoid (but are not actually so) in mature fertile leaves of this and some other species of Meniscium , e.g., M. chrysodioides .