Diagnostic description ²

Gleichenia rubiginosa Mett., Ann. Sci. Nat. Bot. Sér. 5, 2: 267. 1864.

Fig. 9. E

Synonym: Dicranopteris rubiginosa (Mett.) Maxon

Terrestrial fern. Rhizomes creeping, reddish brown, with attenuate, ciliate scales at the apex. Fronds clambering or creeping, 1-2 m in length; pinnae 2-3 times bifurcate, with a tuft of scales in the bifurcation; rachis cylindrical, with some scattered hairs, the primary rachis with proleptic indeterminate growth, the secondary ones not developed; pinnae 10-25 cm long, the lower surface glaucous, glabrous except for the main veins, which are covered with reddish scales or cilia; secondary pinnules oblong, the apex retuse. Sori yellowish.

Phenology: Collected in fertile condition in February and August.

Status: Native, uncommon.

Selected Specimens Examined: Acevedo-Rdgz., P. 9423; Gleason 33; Proctor, G.R. 39419; 40136; 42052.

Distribution ³

Distribution: Restricted to the highest areas of the Cordillera Central, in moist disturbed areas, on roadsides and in forests. Also in mountainous areas of Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.

Public forests: Guilarte and Toro Negro.

Sources and Credits

1. (c) Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, Department of Botany, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://collections.nmnh.si.edu/services/media.php?env=botany&irn=10046416
2. (c) Pedro Acevedo-Rodríguez, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/28435039
3. (c) Pedro Acevedo-Rodríguez, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/28435638

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