Lepisorus
Content
Distribution
Asia-Tropical, Pacific: Hawaii present, Tropical Africa and Asia, extending to Korea and Japan present
Tropical Africa and Asia, extending to Korea and Japan, throughout Malesia, also in Hawaii.
Taxonomy
Two of the three Malesian species have been assigned to Paragramma, but the basis for a generic separation of Paragramma is weak. In all characters studied so far, Paragramma falls within the range encountered in Lepisorus.
Lepisorus is close to Belvisia and Lemmaphyllum. The three genera are included in the tribe Lepisoreae by Hennipman et al. (1990); their distinction has been discussed by Hovenkamp & Franken (1993). Hennipman et al. (l.c.) distinguish the Lepisoreae from the Microsoreae mainly on the basis of characters of spore ultrastructure. Morphologically, the delimitation from Microsorum can only be made on the basis of a combination of characters: fronds simple (simple or divided in Microsoreae), sori in a single row between midrib and margin (one to several rows in Microsoreae), covered with peltate paraphyses at least when young (mostly glabrous in Microsoreae). Lepisorus has often been confused with the mainly Neotropical Pleopeltis (e.g., Copeland 1947, 1960), but can easily be distinguished by the constant presence of sclerenchyma in the rhizome (Zink 1993).
Lepisorus is close to Belvisia and Lemmaphyllum. The three genera are included in the tribe Lepisoreae by Hennipman et al. (1990); their distinction has been discussed by Hovenkamp & Franken (1993). Hennipman et al. (l.c.) distinguish the Lepisoreae from the Microsoreae mainly on the basis of characters of spore ultrastructure. Morphologically, the delimitation from Microsorum can only be made on the basis of a combination of characters: fronds simple (simple or divided in Microsoreae), sori in a single row between midrib and margin (one to several rows in Microsoreae), covered with peltate paraphyses at least when young (mostly glabrous in Microsoreae). Lepisorus has often been confused with the mainly Neotropical Pleopeltis (e.g., Copeland 1947, 1960), but can easily be distinguished by the constant presence of sclerenchyma in the rhizome (Zink 1993).