Cheilanthoideae is one of the five subfamilies of the

fern A fern (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta ) is a member of a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. The polypodiophytes include all living pteridophytes except t ...

family Pteridaceae. The subfamily is thought to be

monophyletic In cladistics for a group of organisms, monophyly is the condition of being a clade—that is, a group of taxa composed only of a common ancestor (or more precisely an ancestral population) and all of its lineal descendants. Monophyletic gro ...

, but some of the genera into which it has been divided are not, and the taxonomic status of many of its genera and species remains uncertain, with radically different approaches in use .

Phylogenic relationships

The following phylogram shows a likely relationship between Cheilanthoideae and the other Pteridaceae subfamilies. Although subfamily Cheilanthoideae itself is thought to be

, many of the genera into which it has been divided (including ''Cheilanthes'', ''Doryopteris'', ''Notholaena'', and ''Pellaea'') have been shown to be polyphyletic.

Genera

The division of the subfamily Cheilanthoideae into genera and species remains uncertain . Christenhusz et al. (2011), the

Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group The Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group, or PPG, is an informal international group of systematic botanists who collaborate to establish a consensus on the classification of pteridophytes (lycophytes and ferns) that reflects knowledge about plant relation ...

classification of 2016 (PPG I), and the November 2019 version of the ''Checklist of Ferns and Lycophytes of the World'' (''World Ferns'' 8.11) agree on the following genera: *''

Adiantopsis ''Adiantopsis'' is a genus of ferns in the subfamily Cheilanthoideae of the family Pteridaceae Pteridaceae is a family of ferns in the order Polypodiales, including some 1150 known species in ca 45 genera (depending on taxonomic opinions), d ...

'' Fée *''

Aleuritopteris ''Aleuritopteris'' is a genus of ferns in the Cheilanthoideae subfamily of the Pteridaceae. As with some other genera of the Cheilanthoideae, molecular phylogenetic studies have suggested that it is not monophyletic, and so may need to be circ ...

'' Fée *''

Argyrochosma ''Argyrochosma'' is a genus of ferns known commonly as false cloak ferns. The genus is included in the Cheilanthoideae subfamily of the Pteridaceae. Species now in this genus were previously treated as members of related genera ''Notholaena'' o ...

'' (J.Sm.) Windham *''

Aspidotis ''Aspidotis'' is a small genus of leptosporangiate ferns known commonly as laceferns. Most species are native to slopes, ridges, and rocky outcroppings, primarily in California and Mexico, although one species included in the genus by some auth ...

'' (Nutt. ex Hooker) Copel. *''

Astrolepis ''Astrolepis'' is a small genus of ferns in the family Pteridaceae. It was formed in 1992 from species previously placed in ''Cheilanthes'' and ''Notholaena''. The name is derived from the Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, o ...

'' D.M.Benham & Windham *'' Bommeria'' E.Fourn. *''

Calciphilopteris ''Calciphilopteris'' is a genus of ferns in the family Pteridaceae. It is native to India and China, southward to Australia.Jovita C. Yesilyurt and Harald Schneider. 2010. "The new fern genus ''Calciphilopteris'' (Pteridaceae)". ''Phytotaxa'' 7 ...

'' Yesilyurt & H.Schneid. *''

Cheilanthes ''Cheilanthes'', commonly known as lip ferns, is a genus of about 180 species of rock-dwelling ferns with a cosmopolitan distribution in warm, dry, rocky regions, often growing in small crevices high up on cliffs. Most are small, sturdy and ever ...

'' Sw. (''nom. cons.'') *''

Cheiloplecton ''Cheiloplecton'' is a genus of ferns in the subfamily Cheilanthoideae of the family Pteridaceae with a single species ''Cheiloplecton rigidum'', native to Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a count ...

'' Fée *''

Doryopteris ''Doryopteris'' is a genus of ferns in the subfamily Cheilanthoideae of the family Pteridaceae. Species The circumscription Circumscription may refer to: *Circumscribed circle * Circumscription (logic) *Circumscription (taxonomy) *Circumscrip ...

'' J.Sm. (''nom. cons.'') *'' Gaga'' Pryer, F.W. Li & Windham *''

Hemionitis ''Hemionitis'' is a genus of ferns in the subfamily Cheilanthoideae of the family Pteridaceae. Its circumscription varies greatly in different systems of fern classification. In the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I), it ...

'' L. *'' Lytoneuron'' (Klotzsch) Yesilyurt *''

Mildella ''Mildella'' is a genus of ferns in the subfamily Cheilanthoideae of the family Pteridaceae. Species are native to Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. Species The Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I) placed seven s ...

'' Trev. *''

Myriopteris ''Myriopteris'', commonly known as the lip ferns, is a genus of cheilanthoid ferns. Like other cheilanthoids, they are ferns of dry habitats, reproducing both sexually and apogamously. Many species have leaves divided into a large number of sma ...

'' Fée *''

Notholaena ''Notholaena'' (from Ancient Greek νόθο(ς) + χλαῖνα), cloak fern, is a genus of ferns in the Cheilanthoideae subfamily of the Pteridaceae. Ferns of this genus are mostly epipetric (growing on rock) or occurring in coarse, gravelly soi ...

'' R.Br. *''

Ormopteris ''Ormopteris'' is a genus of ferns in the subfamily Cheilanthoideae of the family Pteridaceae. Species are native to Brazil and Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivaria ...

'' J.Sm. *'' Paragymnopteris'' K.H.Shing *''

Pellaea ''Pellaea'' may refer to one of two different genera: * ''Pellaea'' (bug), a genus of stink bugs. * ''Pellaea'' (plant), a genus of ferns. {{Taxonomy disambiguation ...

'' Link (''nom. cons.'') *'' Pentagramma'' Yatsk., Windham & E.Wollenw. *'' Trachypteris'' André ex Christ. Some other genera that have been included in the subfamily (or split off from genera included in the subfamily) are: *''Allosorus'' Bernh. – not included by Christenhusz et al. (2011); accepted in PPG I; ''World Ferns'' 8.11 includes it in ''

'', saying that it was wrongly typified *'' Baja'' Windham & L.O.George – accepted by ''World Ferns'' 8.11 *'' Mickelopteris'' Fraser-Jenk. – accepted by ''World Ferns'' 8.11 *''

Oeosporangium ''Oeosporangium'' is a genus of ferns in the subfamily Cheilanthoideae of the family Pteridaceae. The genus has not always been recognized. In the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I) it was included in ''Allosorus'' (a ge ...

'' Vis. – included in ''Allosorus'' in PPG I; re-accepted by ''World Ferns'' 8.11 *''Parahemionitis'' Panigrahi – accepted by Christenhusz et al. (2011) and PPG I; considered a synonym of '' Paragymnopteris'' by ''World Ferns'' 8.11, which places the species ''Parahemionitis cordata'' in the monotypic genus ''Mickelopteris'' *''Pteridella'' Mett. ex Kuhn – accepted by Christenhusz & Chase (2014); considered a synonym of ''

Pellaea ''Pellaea'' may refer to one of two different genera: * ''Pellaea'' (bug), a genus of stink bugs. * ''Pellaea'' (plant), a genus of ferns. {{Taxonomy disambiguation ...

'' by ''World Ferns'' 8.11 Other sources take a radically different approach. , ''

Plants of the World Online Plants of the World Online (POWO) is an online database published by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. It was launched in March 2017 with the ultimate aim being "to enable users to access information on all the world's known seed-bearing plants by ...

'' places all of the possible genera of the Cheilanthoideae in the single genus ''Hemionitis''. (''Parahemionitis'' is treated as a synonym of ''

Acrostichum ''Acrostichum'' is a fern genus in the Parkerioideae subfamily of the Pteridaceae. It was one of the original pteridophyte genera delineated by Linnaeus. It was originally drawn very broadly, including all ferns that had sori apparently "ac ...

'', a member of a different subfamily.) While much work remains to be done in delineating monophyletic genera in the cheilanthoids (''Cheilanthes'', ''Doryopteris'' and ''Pellaea'' remaining notably polyphyletic), several major clades have been consistently recovered in phylogenetic analyses and given informal names, as shown here:

References

Pteridaceae Plant subfamilies {{Pteridaceae-stub