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Polypodium

 
Polypodium

 
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Polypodium
 
 
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Polypodium is a genus
Genus

A genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the classification of living and fossil organisms. The taxonomic ranks are domain , kingdom , phylum, class , order , family , genus, and species....
 of between 75-100 species
Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring....
 of true fern
Fern

A 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....
s, widely distributed throughout the world, with the highest species diversity in the tropic
Tropic

A tropic can refer to:In geography, either of two Circle of latitude:*Tropic of Cancer, at Degree N*Tropic of Capricorn, at Degree S*Tropics, referring to the tropical regions of the world....
s. The name is derived from Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek

Ancient Greek is the historical stage in the development of the Greek language spanning across the Archaic Greece , Classical Greece , and Hellenistic civilization periods of ancient Greece and the classical antiquity....
 poly (p???) "many" + podion (p?d???) "little foot", on account of the foot-like appearance of the rhizome
Rhizome

In botany, a rhizome is a characteristically horizontal plant stem of a plant that is usually found underground, often sending out roots and shoots from its nodes....
 and its branches. They are commonly called polypodies or rockcap ferns, but for many species unique vernacular names exist.

They are terrestrial
Terrestrial plant

A terrestrial plant is one that grows on land. Other types of plants are aquatic ecosystem , epiphytic and lithophytes ....
 or epiphytic
Epiphyte

File:Cadzow oak epiphyte 2.JPGAn epiphyte is an organism that grows upon or attaches to a living plant. Epiphyte is one of the subdivisions of the Raunki?r plant life-form....
 ferns, with a creeping, densely hairy or scaly rhizome
Rhizome

In botany, a rhizome is a characteristically horizontal plant stem of a plant that is usually found underground, often sending out roots and shoots from its nodes....
 bearing frond
Frond

A frond is a large leaf with many divisions to it, and the term is typically used for the leaves of Arecaceaes, ferns or cycads. A frond is the leaf- like structure of a fern or alga....
s at intervals along its length.






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Encyclopedia


Polypodium is a genus
Genus

A genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the classification of living and fossil organisms. The taxonomic ranks are domain , kingdom , phylum, class , order , family , genus, and species....
 of between 75-100 species
Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring....
 of true fern
Fern

A 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....
s, widely distributed throughout the world, with the highest species diversity in the tropic
Tropic

A tropic can refer to:In geography, either of two Circle of latitude:*Tropic of Cancer, at Degree N*Tropic of Capricorn, at Degree S*Tropics, referring to the tropical regions of the world....
s. The name is derived from Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek

Ancient Greek is the historical stage in the development of the Greek language spanning across the Archaic Greece , Classical Greece , and Hellenistic civilization periods of ancient Greece and the classical antiquity....
 poly (p???) "many" + podion (p?d???) "little foot", on account of the foot-like appearance of the rhizome
Rhizome

In botany, a rhizome is a characteristically horizontal plant stem of a plant that is usually found underground, often sending out roots and shoots from its nodes....
 and its branches. They are commonly called polypodies or rockcap ferns, but for many species unique vernacular names exist.

They are terrestrial
Terrestrial plant

A terrestrial plant is one that grows on land. Other types of plants are aquatic ecosystem , epiphytic and lithophytes ....
 or epiphytic
Epiphyte

File:Cadzow oak epiphyte 2.JPGAn epiphyte is an organism that grows upon or attaches to a living plant. Epiphyte is one of the subdivisions of the Raunki?r plant life-form....
 ferns, with a creeping, densely hairy or scaly rhizome
Rhizome

In botany, a rhizome is a characteristically horizontal plant stem of a plant that is usually found underground, often sending out roots and shoots from its nodes....
 bearing frond
Frond

A frond is a large leaf with many divisions to it, and the term is typically used for the leaves of Arecaceaes, ferns or cycads. A frond is the leaf- like structure of a fern or alga....
s at intervals along its length. The species differ in size and general appearance and in the character of the fronds, which are evergreen, persisting for 1-2 years, pinnate or pinnatifid (rarely simple entire), and from 10-80 cm or more long. The sori
Sorus

A sorus is a cluster of sporangium.In fungi and lichens, the sorus is surrounded by an external layer. In some red algae it may take the form of a depression into the thallus....
 or groups of spore-cases (sporangia) are borne on the back of the frond; they are globose and naked, not covered with a membrane (indusium).

Polypodies have some use in herbalism
Herbalism

Herbalism is a traditional medicinal or folk medicine practice based on the use of plants and plant extracts. Herbalism is also known as botanical medicine, medical herbalism, herbal medicine, herbology, and phytotherapy....
, but are today most important in horticulture
Horticulture

'Horticulture' is the industry and science of plant cultivation. Horticulturists work and conduct research in the disciplines of plant propagation and cultivation, Crop , plant breeding and genetic engineering, plant biochemistry, and plant physiology....
 where several species, hybrids, and their cultivar
Cultivar

A cultivar is a cultivated plant that has been selected and given a unique name because of its decorative or useful characteristics; it is usually distinct from similar plants and when Plant propagation it retains those characteristics....
s like Polypodium 'Green Wave' are commonly used as ornamental plant
Ornamental plant

Ornamental plants are typically grown in the flower garden or as house plants. Most commonly they are grown for the display of their flowers. Other common ornamental features include leaves, scent, fruit, Plant stem and bark....
s for shady locations. Polypodium have a bitter-sweet taste and are among the rather few ferns that are used in cooking
Cooking

Cooking is the process of preparing food by applying heat, selecting, measuring and combining of ingredients in an ordered procedure for producing safe and edible food....
; in this case as a spice e.g. for nougat
Nougat

Nougat is a term used to describe a variety of similar confectioneries made with sugar or honey, roasted nut s and sometimes chopped candied fruit....
.

Selected species

Several of the species form hybrids with other species in the genus; these may often be distinguished by being sterile, with very small "blind" sori.

  • Polypodium abitaguae
    Polypodium abitaguae

    Polypodium abitaguae is a species of fern in the Polypodiaceae family. It is Endemism to Ecuador. Category:Flora of Ecuador Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests....
  • Polypodium alfredii
  • Polypodium amorphum Suksdorf – Irregular Polypody
  • Polypodium appalachianum Haufler & Windham – Appalachian Rockcap Fern
  • Polypodium argyrolepis
    Polypodium argyrolepis

    Polypodium argyrolepis is a species of fern in the Polypodiaceae family. It is Endemism to Ecuador. Category:Flora of Ecuador Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montanes....
  • Polypodium asterolepis Baker
  • Polypodium billardieri
  • Polypodium californicum Kaulf.
  • Polypodium calirhiza – Nested Polypody, Habit Polypody
  • Polypodium cambricum L. (= P. australe Fée) – Southern Polypody
  • Polypodium chionolepis
    Polypodium chionolepis

    Polypodium chionolepis is a species of fern in the Polypodiaceae family. It is Endemism to Ecuador. Category:Flora of Ecuador Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montanes....
  • Polypodium crassifolium
  • Polypodium decumanum – Calaguala Fern
  • Polypodium excavatum Roxb.
  • Polypodium exiguum – Hug-me-tight
  • Polypodium feei (Bory) Mett.
  • Polypodium × font-queri (P. cambricum × P. vulgare)
  • Polypodium formosanum Baker - Grub Fern
  • Polypodium furfuraceum Schltdl. & Cham.
  • Polypodium glycyrrhiza D.C.Eaton – Licorice fern
    Licorice fern

    Polypodium glycyrrhiza, commonly known as licorice fern, is an evergreen fern native to western North America. It can often be found growing on the trunks and branches of deciduous trees, particularly bigleaf maple....
  • Polypodium hesperium Maxon – Western Polypody
  • Polypodium incanum
  • Polypodium × incognitum
  • Polypodium interjectum Shivas – Intermediate Polypody
  • Polypodium latissimum
    Polypodium latissimum

    Polypodium latissimum is a species of fern in the Polypodiaceae family. It is Endemism to Ecuador. Category:Flora of Ecuador Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests....
  • Polypodium lepidopteris (Langsd. & Fisch.) Kunze
  • Polypodium lonchitis – Northern Holly Fern
  • Polypodium macaronesicum Bobrov
  • Polypodium × mantoniae (P. interjectum × P. vulgare)
  • Polypodium mindense
    Polypodium mindense

    Polypodium mindense is a species of fern in the Polypodiaceae family. It is Endemism to Ecuador. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montanes....
  • Polypodium mixtum
    Polypodium mixtum

    Polypodium mixtum is a species of fern in the Polypodiaceae family. It is Endemism to Ecuador. Category:Flora of Ecuador It is threatened by habitat loss....
  • Polypodium nigrescens Blume
  • Polypodium nipponicum – aonekazura' (Japanese)
  • Polypodium percussum
  • Polypodium phymatodes L.
  • Polypodium piligerum
    Polypodium piligerum

    Polypodium piligerum is a species of fern in the Polypodiaceae family. It is Endemism to Ecuador. Category:Flora of Ecuador Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montanes....
  • Polypodium pycnocarpum C.Chr.
  • Polypodium quitense
    Polypodium quitense

    Polypodium quitense is a species of fern in the Polypodiaceae family. It is Endemism to Ecuador. Category:Flora of Ecuador Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests....
  • Polypodium rimbachii
    Polypodium rimbachii

    Polypodium rimbachii is a species of fern in the Polypodiaceae family. It is Endemism to Ecuador. Category:Flora of Ecuador Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montanes....
  • Polypodium × rothmaleri (P. cambricum × P. interjectum)
  • Polypodium saximontanum Windham
  • Polypodium scouleri Hooker & Greville – Coast Polypody
  • Polypodium scutulatum
    Polypodium scutulatum

    Polypodium scutulatum is a species of fern in the Polypodiaceae family. It is Endemism to Ecuador. Category:Flora of Ecuador It is threatened by habitat loss....
  • Polypodium segregatum
    Polypodium segregatum

    Polypodium segregatum is a species of fern in the Polypodiaceae family. It is Endemism to Ecuador. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montanes....
  • Polypodium sibiricum Sipliv. – Siberian Polypody
  • Polypodium triseriale Swartz
  • Polypodium virginianum L. – Rock Polypody
  • Polypodium vulgare – Common Polypody


A number of species formerly included in the genus have recently been transferred to other genera, including Campyloneurum
Campyloneurum

Campyloneurum is a genus of fern in family Polypodiaceae. It contains the following species :* Campyloneurum oellgaardii, B.Le?n...
, Cyathea
Cyathea

Cyathea is a genus of tree ferns, the type genus of the fern order Cyatheales. They are mostly terrestrial ferns, usually with a single tall stem....
, Microgramma, Nephrolepis
Nephrolepis

Nephrolepis is a genus of about 30 species of ferns in the family Lomariopsidaceae .Selected species:* Nephrolepis bisseratum Schott....
, Neurodium, Pecluma
Pecluma

Pecluma is a genus of fern in family Polypodiaceae. It contains the following species :* Pecluma pastazensis, R.C.Moran...
, Phlebodium
Phlebodium

Phlebodium is a small genus of two to four species of ferns, native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas. The genus is closely related to Polypodium, and the species were formerly included in that genus....
, and Pleopeltis
Pleopeltis

Pleopeltis is a genus of between 20?50 species of ferns, widely distributed in tropical regions of the world, and also north into temperate regions in eastern North America and eastern Asia....
.

See also

  • Baba Roots
    Baba roots

    Baba Roots, which was founded by entrepreneur William Webb, is a herbal energy drink popular among young people in Jamaica. It is said to increase sexual energy and alertness....
  • Calaguala
    Calaguala

    Calaguala is an extract from Polypodium decumanum, a type of fern used historically for medicinal purposes.It is also known as kalawalla, and a number of other spellings occur....