Polypodiaceae

Key takeaways

Polypodiaceae belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Polypodiaceae to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Polypodiaceae from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Polypodiaceae is a family of ferns. In the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I), the family includes around 65 genera and an estimated 1,650 species and is placed in the order Polypodiales, suborder Polypodiineae. A broader circumscription has also been used, in which the family includes other families kept separate in PPG I. Nearly all species are epiphytes, but some are terrestrial.

Description Stems of Polypodiaceae range from erect to long-creeping. The fronds are entire, pinnatifid, or variously forked or pinnate. The petioles lack stipules. The scaly rhizomes are generally creeping in nature. Polypodiaceae species are found in wet climates, most commonly in rain forests. In temperate zones, most species tend to be epiphytic or epipetric. Notable examples of ferns in this family include the resurrection fern (Pleopeltis polypodioides) and the golden serpent fern (Phlebodium aureum).

Taxonomy Two distinct circumscriptions of the family are in use. The Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I) uses a circumscription of Polypodiaceae in which the family is placed in the suborder Polypodiineae (eupolypods I), along with eight other families. The relationship between the families is shown in the consensus cladogram below.

An alternative approach treats the suborder Polypodiineae as the family Polypodiaceae sensu lato, and reduces the families to subfamilies, so that the Polypodiaceae sensu stricto becomes the subfamily Polypodioideae. The broader circumscription is used by Plants of the World Online, as of August 2019; for example, the Dryopteridaceae, shown above as a separate family, is included in its Polypodiaceae. The broadly defined Polypodiaceae has been described as an "unwieldy megafamily".

Subfamilies Molecular phylogenetic analysis has led to the division of the Polypodiaceae into six subfamilies, and to the inclusion of genera that have at various times been placed in other families, including the Drynariaceae, Grammitidaceae, Gymnogrammitidaceae, Loxogrammaceae, Platyceriaceae, and Pleurisoriopsidaceae. The following cladogram shows a possible phylogenetic relationship between the subfamilies based on an analysis published in 2008; at the time, Grammitidoideae was not separated from Polypodioideae.

The subfamilies are treated as tribes in other systems. Mabberley, in 2008, treated all of Polypodiaceae except for the Platycerioideae (Platycerium and Pyrrosia) and the grammitid ferns, which he placed in Grammitidaceae, as the subfamily Polypodioideae, which he then divided into six tribes, four of which correspond to PPG I subfamilies (Drynarieae, Loxogrammeae, Microsoreae and Polypodieae) and others of which have been submerged (Selligueeae, now within Drynarioideae, and Lepisoreae, now within Microsoroideae). Other systems also treat the subfamilies as tribes. The equivalence is shown in the following table.

Phylogeny In the list that follows, the taxa shown with the "(=)" prefix are considered to be synonyms for the accepted subfamily name that they follow. However, this does not necessarily imply that the subfamily contains all of the synonym's previous genera.

Subfamily Adetogrammoideae Zhang & Wei Adetogramma Almeida Subfamily Campyloneuroideae Zhang & Wei Campyloneurum C.Presl Microgramma C.Presl Niphidium J.Sm.

Subfamily Drynarioideae Crabbe, Jermy & Mickel (Drynarieae Subh.Chandra; Selligueeae Hennipman; Aglaomorpheae Chandra; Crypsinoideae Nayar) Drynaria (Bory 1825) Smith [Aglaomorpha] Pichisermollodes Fraser-Jenk. & Challis. Selliguea Bory [Arthromeris; Gymnogrammitis; Paraselliguea; Polypodiopteris] ×Sellimeris Fraser-Jenkins, Singh & Fraser-Jenkins Synammia C.Presl

Subfamily Grammitidoideae Parris & Sundue [Grammitideae Presl; Mecosoreae Klotzsch; Pleurogrammeae Fée ex Pfeiffer] Acrosorus Copel. Adenophorus Gaudich. Alansmia M.Kessler, Moguel, Sundue & Labiak Archigrammitis Parris Ascogrammitis Sundue Calymmodon C.Presl Ceradenia L.E.Bishop Chrysogrammitis Parris Cochlidium Kaulf. [Xiphopteris Kaulfuss] Ctenopterella Parris Dasygrammitis Parris Enterosora Baker [Zygophlebia L.E.Bishop] Galactodenia Sundue & Labiak Grammitis Sw. Lellingeria A.R.Sm. & R.C.Moran Leucotrichum Labiak Lomaphlebia J.Sm. Luisma M.T.Murillo & A.R.Sm. Melpomene A.R.Sm. & R.C.Moran Micropolypodium Hayata Moranopteris R.Y.Hirai & J.Prado Mycopteris Sundue Notogrammitis Parris Oreogrammitis Copel. [Radiogrammitis Parris; Themelium (T.Moore) Parris] Parrisia Shalisko & Sundue Prosaptia C.Presl [Ctenopteris Blume ex Kunze non Brongniart ex de Saporta non Newman] Scleroglossum Alderw. [Nematopteris van Alderwerelt van Rosenburgh] Stenogrammitis Labiak Terpsichore A.R.Sm. Tomophyllum (E.Fourn.) Parris Xiphopterella Parris

Subfamily Loxogrammoideae H.Schneid. (Loxogrammeae R.M.Tryon & A.F.Tryon) Lacks sclerenchyma (supporting tissue) in plant body, except in the roots. Dictymia J.Sm. Loxogramme (Blume) C.Presl

Subfamily Microsoroideae B.K.Nayar (Lepisoroideae Ching; Microsoreae V.N.Tu; Lemmaphylleae Tu) Bosmania Testo Dendroconche Copel. Ellipinema Zhang & Zhang Goniophlebium (Blume) C.Presl Lecanopteris Reinw. ex Blume Lemmaphyllum C.Presl Lepidomicrosorium Ching & K.H.Shing Lepisorus (J.Sm.) Ching Leptochilus Kaulf. [Kontumia Wu & Lôc] Microsorum Link [Kaulinia Nayar] Neocheiropteris Christ. Neolepisorus Ching Paragramma (Blume) T.Moore Phymatosorus Pichi-Sermolli Podosorus Holttum Thylacopteris Kunze ex J.Sm. Tricholepidium Ching Zealandia Testo

Subfamily Platycerioideae B.K.Nayar (Platycerieae Christenhusz) Fronds with stellate hairs (star-shaped, radiating from center). Hovenkampia Zhang & Zhou Platycerium Desv. Pyrrosia Mirb.

Subfamily Polypodioideae Sweet (Polypodieae Hooker & Lindley ex Duby (sensu Mabberley 2008)) Pecluma M.G.Price. Phlebodium (R.Br.) J.Sm. ×Phlebosia Viane & Pompe Pleopeltis Humb. & Bonpl. ex Willd. Pleurosoriopsis Fomin Polypodium L. Perhaps Subfamily Serpocauloideae Zhang & Wei Serpocaulon A.R.Sm.

See also List of foliage plant diseases (Polypodiaceae)

References

External links

Polypodiaceae (Polypody family)

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Polypodiaceae

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Polypodiaceae claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Polypodiaceae before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Polypodiaceae ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Polypodiaceae

In research: Polypodiaceae appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Polypodiaceae in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Polypodiaceae is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Epiphytes, Fern families, Polypodiaceae, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Polypodiaceae outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

How to study Polypodiaceae in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Polypodiaceae means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Polypodiaceae out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Polypodiaceae in simple terms?

Polypodiaceae is a family of ferns. In the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I), the family includes around 65 genera and an estimated 1,650 species and is placed in the order Polypodiales, suborder Polypodiineae.

Why does Polypodiaceae matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Polypodiaceae?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Polypodiaceae.