Davalliaceae

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Davalliaceae

Description

Epiphytic, epilithic, or rarely terrestrial. In a number of species apical and marginal multicellular hairs on the scales. Scales often ciliate or toothed, the ciliae or teeth consisting of two upturned ends of adjacent marginal cells.
Incision of the leaves very diverse, from an entire leaf to a decompound leaf with uni-veined ultimate segments, in Davallia repens even in an individual plant. Pinnules anadromous, the apical pinnule of at least the lower pinnae inserted nearer to the rachis than the basal pinnule, or catadromous, the other way round, in Davallodes and sometimes in Davallia membranulosa. Axes adaxially grooved, the grooves with raised centre; edges of laminar parts continuous with the ridges (wings) bordering the axis groove; costae and costules adaxially convex. Lamina often firm in texture, usually triangular, sometimes narrowed towards the base; when mature mostly without macroscopical epidermal appendages (hairy in Davallodes and some species of Davallia). Veins pinnately branched, free, ending behind the margin or reaching it. ‘False veins’ occasionally present between the true veins.
Leaves alternately in two ranks on the dorsal side of the rhizome and articulated at the base to phyllopodia.

Distribution

North to south from Korea to New South Wales and Three Kings Island N of New Zea-land, and west to east from west tropical Africa, the Canary Islands and SW Europe to the Marquesas in the Pacific present
North to south from Korea to New South Wales and Three Kings Island N of New Zea-land, and west to east from west tropical Africa, the Canary Islands and SW Europe to the Marquesas in the Pacific.

Cytology

In Leucostegia x = 41, the chromosome counts indicate that L. immersa in India and Taiwan is diploid (Tryon & Lugardon 1991: 374); in Gymnogrammitis x = 36, the count from a plant in Yunnan, Dali also indicates diploidy (M. Kato et al. 1992: 108); in the other genera x = 40, triploidy is reported in Davallia repens from Sri Lanka (Manton & Sledge 1954).

Citation

K.U. Kramer 1990: pp. 74-80. – In: K. Kubitzki (ed.), Fam. & Gen. Vasc. Pl. 1