The order
Polypodiales encompasses the major lineages of polypod
fernA fern is any one of a group of about 20,000 species of plants classified in the phylum or division Pteridophyta, also known as Filicophyta. The group is also referred to as Polypodiophyta, or Polypodiopsida when treated as a subdivision of tracheophyta...
s, which comprise more than 80% of today's fern species. They are found in many parts of the world including tropical, semitropical and temperate areas. The characteristics of this group include: sporangia with a vertical
annulusAnnulus , being the Latin and French for "ring," is a term used to describe various ring or circle shaped objects :
interrupted by the stalk and stomium; indusia laterally or centrally attached (or lost); gametophytes green, chordate, and surficial.
Polypodiales may be regarded as one of the most
evolutionIn biology, evolution is change in the genetic material of a population of organisms from one generation to the next. Though changes produced in any one generation are normally small, differences accumulate with each generation and can, over time, cause substantial changes in the population, a...
arily advanced orders of monilophytes (ferns), based on recent genetic analysis.
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The order
Polypodiales encompasses the major lineages of polypod
fernA fern is any one of a group of about 20,000 species of plants classified in the phylum or division Pteridophyta, also known as Filicophyta. The group is also referred to as Polypodiophyta, or Polypodiopsida when treated as a subdivision of tracheophyta...
s, which comprise more than 80% of today's fern species. They are found in many parts of the world including tropical, semitropical and temperate areas. The characteristics of this group include: sporangia with a vertical
annulusAnnulus , being the Latin and French for "ring," is a term used to describe various ring or circle shaped objects :
interrupted by the stalk and stomium; indusia laterally or centrally attached (or lost); gametophytes green, chordate, and surficial.
Polypodiales may be regarded as one of the most
evolutionIn biology, evolution is change in the genetic material of a population of organisms from one generation to the next. Though changes produced in any one generation are normally small, differences accumulate with each generation and can, over time, cause substantial changes in the population, a...
arily advanced orders of monilophytes (ferns), based on recent genetic analysis. They arose and diversified about 100 million years ago, probably subsequent to the diversification of the angiosperms.
The 15 families of Polypodiales are listed here from those considered most
basalIn phylogenetics, a basal clade is the earliest clade to branch in a larger clade; it appears at the base of a cladogram.A basal group forms an outgroup to the rest of the clade, such as in the following example:...
to those considered most
derivedIn phylogenetics, a trait is derived if it is present in an organism, but was absent in the last common ancestor of the group being considered. This may also refer to structures that are not present in an organism, but were present in its ancestors, i.e. traits that have undergone secondary loss...
:
- Lindsaeaceae
Lindsaeaseae contains genera that were formerly considered part of Dennstaedtiaceae. Molecular data supported the separation of Lindsaeaseae into its own family. Lindsaeaseae is considered the most basal of the order Polypodiales...
- Saccolomataceae
Saccolomataceae has been formerly treated as a member of the Dennstaedtiaceae, however it has been classified as its own family according to Smith et al....
- Dennstaedtiaceae
Dennstaedtiaceae is one of fifteen families in the order Polypodiales, the most derived families within monilophytes . It includes the world's most abundant fern, Pteridium aquilinum . Members of the order generally have large, highly divided leaves and have either small, round intramarginal sori...
- Pteridaceae
Pteridaceae is a large family of ferns in the order Pteridales. Members of the family have creeping or erect rhizomes and are mostly terrestrial or epipetric...
- Aspleniaceae
The Aspleniaceae is a family of ferns, included in the order Polypodiales or in some classifications as the only family in the order Aspleniales....
- Thelypteridaceae
Thelypteridaceae is a family of about 900 species of ferns.The ferns are terrestrial, with the exception of a few which are lithophytes . The bulk of the species are tropical, although there are a number of temperate species....
- Woodsiaceae
Woodsiaceae or Cliff Fern is a family of fern within the Athyriales order....
- Blechnaceae
Blechnaceae is a family of nine genera and between 240-260 species of ferns, with a cosmopolitan distribution.Most are ground dwelling, some are climbers, such as Stenochlaena. A characteristic feature of many species is that the young opening fronds are usually tinged with red.Genera*Blechnum L....
- Onocleaceae
Onocleaceae is a small family of terrestrial ferns consisting of five north temperate species. Members of the family are distinguished by having strongly dimorphic fronds, with the fertile fronds different from the sterile fronds.- Species :...
- Dryopteridaceae
The Dryopteridaceae is a family of ferns with a cosmopolitan distribution.All of the fronds of Dryopteridaceae ferns contain round sori on the underside of the pinnae unlike some other ferns which have separate specialized reproductive fronds. Many of the sori have peltate indusia. Most have...
- Lomariopsidaceae
The Lomariopsidaceae is a family of ferns with a largely tropical distribution. It includes the following genera:*Bolbitis*Elaphoglossum*Lomagramma*Lomariopsis*Teratophyllum*ThysanosoriaSome are cultivated as ornamental plants....
- Tectariaceae
- Oleandraceae (formerly Olandraceae)
- Davalliaceae
Davalliaceae is a family of polypod ferns, which includes seven genera, the species of which grow mostly in the old world tropics or subtropics. In some treatments the genera of the family Olandraceae are included in this family...
- Polypodiaceae
Polypodiaceae is a family of polypod ferns, which includes more than 60 genera divided into several tribes and containing around 1,000 species. Nearly all are epiphytes, but some are terrestrial...
Now-obsolete families of Polypodiales:
- Drynariaceae - now in Polypodiaceae
- Grammitidaceae - now in Polypodiaceae
- Gymnogrammitidaceae - now in Polypodiaceae
- Loxogrammaceae - now in Polypodiaceae
- Nephrolepidaceae - now in Lomariopsidaceae
- Platyceriaceae - now in Polypodiaceae
- Pleursoriopsidaceae - now in Polypodiaceae