Vittaria
Encyclopedia
Vittaria is a genus
of fern
s in the family
Pteridaceae
. It had previously been placed in the family Vittariaceae, but that family is no longer recognized.
Vittaria consists of epiphyte
s, with simple, entire, narrowly linear frond
s. It comprises six species
, five of which are native
to the neotropics. Vittaria isoetifolia is native to tropical Africa
and islands of the southwestern Indian Ocean
. Vittaria isoetifolia and Vittaria lineata are known, albeit rarely, in cultivation
.
Vittaria was named
by James Edward Smith
in 1793 in Mémoires de l'Académie Royale des Sciences (Turin). The generic name is derived
from the Latin
, vitta, meaning "a band or ribbon".
In 1990, Vittaria was defined
broadly and estimated to have between 50 and 80 species. The genus is difficult to divide into species, and many of the species are only doubtfully distinct. In a 1997 revision of the vittarioid ferns, only 34 species were recognized in Vittaria sensu lato. Twenty of these were transferred to Haplopterisand eight to Radiovittaria, leaving only six in Vittaria.
The first well-sampled molecular phylogenetic study
of the vittarioids was based on the chloroplast
gene
rbcL. In this study, it was found that the type species
of Monogramma is embedded
in Haplopteris. Because Monogramma is the older name, unless Haplopteris is split, all of the species of Haplopteris will eventually be transferred to Monogramma.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of fern
Fern
A fern is any one of a group of about 12,000 species of plants belonging to the botanical group known as Pteridophyta. Unlike mosses, they have xylem and phloem . They have stems, leaves, and roots like other vascular plants...
s in the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Pteridaceae
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...
. It had previously been placed in the family Vittariaceae, but that family is no longer recognized.
Vittaria consists of epiphyte
Epiphyte
An epiphyte is a plant that grows upon another plant non-parasitically or sometimes upon some other object , derives its moisture and nutrients from the air and rain and sometimes from debris accumulating around it, and is found in the temperate zone and in the...
s, with simple, entire, narrowly linear frond
Frond
The term frond refers to a large, divided leaf. In both common usage and botanical nomenclature, the leaves of ferns are referred to as fronds and some botanists restrict the term to this group...
s. It comprises six 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. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
, five of which are native
Indigenous (ecology)
In biogeography, a species is defined as native to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention. Every natural organism has its own natural range of distribution in which it is regarded as native...
to the neotropics. Vittaria isoetifolia is native to tropical Africa
Tropical Africa
Although tropical Africa is most familiar in the West as depicted by its rain forests, this region of Africa is far more diverse. While the tropics are thought of as regions with warm to hot moist climates caused by latitude and the tropical rain belt, the geology of areas, particularly mountain...
and islands of the southwestern Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
. Vittaria isoetifolia and Vittaria lineata are known, albeit rarely, in cultivation
Gardening
Gardening is the practice of growing and cultivating plants. Ornamental plants are normally grown for their flowers, foliage, or overall appearance; useful plants are grown for consumption , for their dyes, or for medicinal or cosmetic use...
.
Vittaria was named
Botanical name
A botanical name is a formal scientific name conforming to the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature and, if it concerns a plant cultigen, the additional cultivar and/or Group epithets must conform to the International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants...
by James Edward Smith
James Edward Smith
Sir James Edward Smith was an English botanist and founder of the Linnean Society.Smith was born in Norwich in 1759, the son of a wealthy wool merchant. He displayed a precocious interest in the natural world...
in 1793 in Mémoires de l'Académie Royale des Sciences (Turin). The generic name is derived
Etymology
Etymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time.For languages with a long written history, etymologists make use of texts in these languages and texts about the languages to gather knowledge about how words were used during...
from the Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
, vitta, meaning "a band or ribbon".
In 1990, Vittaria was defined
Circumscription (taxonomy)
In taxonomy, circumscription is the definition of the limits of a taxonomic group of organisms. One goal of taxonomy is to achieve a stable circumscription for every taxonomic group. Achieving stability can be simple or difficult....
broadly and estimated to have between 50 and 80 species. The genus is difficult to divide into species, and many of the species are only doubtfully distinct. In a 1997 revision of the vittarioid ferns, only 34 species were recognized in Vittaria sensu lato. Twenty of these were transferred to Haplopterisand eight to Radiovittaria, leaving only six in Vittaria.
The first well-sampled molecular phylogenetic study
Research
Research can be defined as the scientific search for knowledge, or as any systematic investigation, to establish novel facts, solve new or existing problems, prove new ideas, or develop new theories, usually using a scientific method...
of the vittarioids was based on the chloroplast
Chloroplast
Chloroplasts are organelles found in plant cells and other eukaryotic organisms that conduct photosynthesis. Chloroplasts capture light energy to conserve free energy in the form of ATP and reduce NADP to NADPH through a complex set of processes called photosynthesis.Chloroplasts are green...
gene
Gene
A gene is a molecular unit of heredity of a living organism. It is a name given to some stretches of DNA and RNA that code for a type of protein or for an RNA chain that has a function in the organism. Living beings depend on genes, as they specify all proteins and functional RNA chains...
rbcL. In this study, it was found that the type species
Type species
In biological nomenclature, a type species is both a concept and a practical system which is used in the classification and nomenclature of animals and plants. The value of a "type species" lies in the fact that it makes clear what is meant by a particular genus name. A type species is the species...
of Monogramma is embedded
Paraphyly
A group of taxa is said to be paraphyletic if the group consists of all the descendants of a hypothetical closest common ancestor minus one or more monophyletic groups of descendants...
in Haplopteris. Because Monogramma is the older name, unless Haplopteris is split, all of the species of Haplopteris will eventually be transferred to Monogramma.
Species
Vittaria includes the following species (but this list may be incomplete).- Vittaria lineata (L.) Sm.James Edward SmithSir James Edward Smith was an English botanist and founder of the Linnean Society.Smith was born in Norwich in 1759, the son of a wealthy wool merchant. He displayed a precocious interest in the natural world...
- Vittaria appalachiana Farrar & Mickel
- Vittaria dimorpha Müll (The author abbreviation is ambiguous.)
- Vittaria flavicosta Mickel & Beitel
- Vittaria graminifolia Kaulf.Georg Friedrich KaulfussGeorg Friedrich Kaulfuss was a professor at Halle. He described the pteridophytes collected by Adalbert von Chamisso, and named the fern Cibotium chamissoi after him. The genus Kaulfussia is named for Kaulfuss.-Plants Named by Kaulfuss:...
- Vittaria isoetifolia BoryJean Baptiste Bory de Saint-VincentJean Baptiste Bory de Saint-Vincent was a French naturalist. He was born at Agen...
Transferred to Haplopteris
- Vittaria anguste-elongata HayataBunzo Hayatawas a Japanese botanist noted for his taxonomic work in Japan and Formosa . He was a professor at the Imperial University of Tokyo and third director of the Research Botanical Gardens....
- Vittaria angustifolia BlumeCarl Ludwig BlumeCharles Ludwig de Blume or Karl Ludwig von Blume was a German-Dutch botanist.He was born at Braunschweig in Germany, but studied at Leiden University and spent his professional life working in the Dutch East Indies and in the Netherlands, where he was Director of the Rijksherbarium at Leiden...
- Vittaria doniana MetteniusGeorg Heinrich MetteniusGeorg Heinrich Mettenius was a German botanist who was a native of Frankfurt am Main. He was son-in-law to botanist Alexander Braun ....
ex Hieron.Georg Hans Emmo Wolfgang HieronymusGeorg Hans Emmo Wolfgang Hieronymus was a European botanist of German extraction. He was born in Silesia and died in Berlin. He began his career as a medical student in Zürich and Bern from 1868 to 1870, but became interested in botany, instead. He then studied at the University of Halle where...
- Vittaria elongata Sw.Olof SwartzOlof Peter Swartz was a Swedish botanist and taxonomist. He is best known for his taxonomic work and studies into pteridophytes...
- Vittaria ensiformis Sw.
- Vittaria flexuosa Fée
- Vittaria forrestiana Ching
- Vittaria fudzinoi MakinoTomitaro Makinothumb|200px|Tomitaro Makino was a pioneer Japanese botanist noted for his taxonomic work. He has been called "Father of Japanese Botany", as he was one of the first Japanese botanists to work extensively on classifying Japanese plants using the system developed by Linnaeus...
- Vittaria guineensis DesvauxNicaise Auguste Desvaux-Works:*Journal de Botanique, appliquée à l'Agriculture, à la Pharmacie, à la Médecine et aux Arts .*Observations sur les plantes des environs d'Angers ....
- Vittaria hainanensis C. Chr.Carl ChristensenCarl Frederik Albert Christensen was a Danish systematic botanist. He graduated in natural history from the University of Copenhagen under professor Eugenius Warming. He was first school teacher in Copenhagen, later superintendent at the Botanical Museum. He was a specialist in ferns and published...
ex Ching - Vittaria himalayensis Ching
- Vittaria longicoma ChristKonrad H. ChristKonrad Hermann Heinrich Christ , often known in citations as just "Christ" or "H. Christ", was a Swiss pteridologist botanist who specialized in ferns. He was a lecturer and professor of botany at Basel, Switzerland. The fern genus Christella is named in his honour.-Publications:*Christ, K. H. H....
- Vittaria malayensis HolttumRichard Eric HolttumRichard Eric Holttum was an English botanist. He did a good deal of work in Southeast Asia and Australasia. He shared the 1964 Linnean Medal with Carl Pantin.The abbreviation Holtt. is also used.-References:...
- Vittaria modesta Handel-Mazzetti
- Vittaria owariensis Fée
- Vittaria scolopendrina (BoryJean Baptiste Bory de Saint-VincentJean Baptiste Bory de Saint-Vincent was a French naturalist. He was born at Agen...
) SchkuhrChristian SchkuhrChristian Schkuhr was a German gardener, artist and botanist.He studied at the University of Wittenberg; while continuing to work as a gardener, he also became a master of design and engraving...
ex ThwaitesThwaitesThwaites may refer to:* Thwaites Brewery* Thwaites & Reed, oldest clockmakers in the world- Surnames :*Brenton Thwaites , Australian actor*Caitlin Thwaites , Australian netball and volleyball player...
- Vittaria sikkimensis KuhnFriedrich Adalbert Maximilian KuhnFriedrich Adalbert Maximilian Kuhn was a German botanist. He went by the name "Max," and his name was often written "Maximilian Friedrich Adalbert Kuhn." He worked with Konrad H. Christ and Georg Heinrich Mettenius.- References :*...
- Vittaria taeniophylla Copeland
- Vittaria volkensii Hieronymus
- Vittaria zosterifolia WilldenowCarl Ludwig WilldenowCarl Ludwig Willdenow was a German botanist, pharmacist, and plant taxonomist. He is considered one of the founders of phytogeography, the study of the geographic distribution of plants...
Transferred to Radiovittaria
- Vittaria remota Fée
- Vittaria gardneriana Fée
- Vittaria latifolia Benedict
- Vittaria minima (BakerJohn Gilbert BakerJohn Gilbert Baker was an English botanist.Baker was born in Guisborough, the son of John and Mary Baker and educated at Quaker schools in Ackworth and York....
) alph Curtiss Benedict| Benedict - Vittaria moritziana Mettenius
- Vittaria ruiziana Fée
- Vittaria stipitata KunzeGustav KunzeGustav Kunze Gustav Kunze Gustav Kunze (4 October 1793, Leipzig -30 April 1851, Leipzigwas a German professor of zoology, an entomologist and botanist with an interest mainly in ferns and orchids....
- Vittaria williamsii Benedict
External links
- http://www.ipni.org/ipni/advPlantNameSearch.do?find_family=&find_genus=Vittaria&find_species=&find_infrafamily=&find_infragenus=&find_infraspecies=&find_authorAbbrev=&find_includePublicationAuthors=on&find_includePublicationAuthors=off&find_includeBasionymAuthors=on&find_includeBasionymAuthors=off&find_publicationTitle=&find_isAPNIRecord=on&find_isAPNIRecord=false&find_isGCIRecord=on&find_isGCIRecord=false&find_isIKRecord=on&find_isIKRecord=false&find_rankToReturn=all&output_format=normal&find_sortByFamily=on&find_sortByFamily=off&query_type=by_query&back_page=plantsearchVittaria] At: Plant Names At: IPNI
- CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names: R-Z At: Botany & Plant Science At: Life Science At: CRC Press
- The Plant List