''Cystopteris'' is a genus of
ferns in the family
Cystopteridaceae
Cystopteridaceae is a family of ferns in the order Polypodiales. In the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I), the family is placed in the suborder Aspleniineae of the order Polypodiales, and includes three genera. Alt ...
.
[ These are known generally as bladderferns or fragile ferns. They grow in temperate areas worldwide. This is a very diverse genus and within a species individuals can look quite different, especially in harsh environments where stress stunts their growth. They hybridize easily with each other and identifying an individual can be challenging. In general these are rhizomatous perennials which grow in rocks or soil. Their leaves are multiply pinnate, in that each leaflet is divided into smaller parts. The sori are usually rounded and covered in an inflated bladder-like indusium.
]
Species
Species include:Cystopteris alpina
''Cystopteris alpina'' is a fern in the family Cystopteridaceae. It is closely related to '' C. fragilis'' and has been treated as conspecific with that species by many authors.Jonsell B (ed). (2000). "Flora Nordica: Volume 1 - Lycopodiacea to Po ...
''
*''Cystopteris bulbifera
''Cystopteris bulbifera'', with the common name bulblet fern, bulblet bladderfern, or bulblet fragile fern is a fern in the family Cystopteridaceae.
Distribution
The fern is native to eastern Canada, the Midwestern and Eastern United States, and ...
'' - bulblet fern
*''Cystopteris chinensis
''Cystopteris chinensis'' is a species of fern in the family Cystopteridaceae. It was formerly placed as the sole species in the genus ''Cystoathyrium'', not recognized in the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I). The forest ...
'' (Ching) R.Wei & X.C.Zhang (syn. ''Cystoathyrium chinense'' Ching)
*''Cystopteris diaphana
''Cystopteris diaphana'', the greenish bladder-fern or diaphanous bladder-fern, is a fern in the family Cystopteridaceae.
Distribution
It is found locally on the Atlantic seaboard of Europe.
Status in Britain
The species was found for the f ...
''
*''Cystopteris dickieana
''Cystopteris dickieana'', commonly known as Dickie's bladder-fern, is a fern with a wide distribution in the Northern Hemisphere. There is debate amongst botanists as to whether it is a species in its own right or a variant of '' C. fragilis'' ...
'' - Dickie's bladderfern
*''Cystopteris douglasii
''Cystopteris'' is a genus of ferns in the family Cystopteridaceae. These are known generally as bladderferns or fragile ferns. They grow in temperate areas worldwide. This is a very diverse genus and within a species individuals can look quite ...
'' - Douglas' bladderfern
*''Cystopteris fragilis
''Cystopteris fragilis'' is a species of fern known by the common names brittle bladder-fern and common fragile fern. It can be found worldwide, generally in shady, moist areas. The leaves are up to 30 or 40 centimeters long and are borne on fles ...
'' - brittle bladderfern
*''Cystopteris laurentiana'' - St. Lawrence bladderfern
*''Cystopteris montana'' - mountain bladderfern
*''Cystopteris protrusa'' - lowland bladderfern
*''Cystopteris reevesiana'' - Reeves' bladderfern
*''Cystopteris tennesseensis'' - Tennessee bladderfern
*''Cystopteris tenuis'' - upland brittle fern
*''Cystopteris utahensis'' - Utah bladderfern
Hybrids
''Cystopteris'' widely hybridizes internally. Its diploid parent species include:
*''Cystopteris bulbifera, C. bulbifera''
*''C. "hemifragilis"'' (an undiscovered or extinct diploid)
*''Cystopteris protrusa, C. protrusa''
*''Cystopteris reevesiana, C. reevesiana''
The Hybrid (biology), hybrid species include:
*''Cystopteris fragilis, C. fragilis'' (''C. "hemifragilis"'' × ''C. reevesiana''; allotetraploid)
*''Cystopteris laurentiana, C. laurentiana'' (''C. bulbifera'' × ''C. fragilis''; allohexaploid)
*''Cystopteris tennesseensis, C. tennesseensis'' (''C. bulbifera'' × ''C. protrusa''; allotetraploid)
*''Cystopteris tenuis, C. tenuis'' (''C. "hemifragilis"'' × ''C. protrusa''; allotetraploid)
*''Cystopteris utahensis, C. utahensis'' (''C. reevesiana'' × ''C. bulbifera''; allotetraploid)
Non-species hybrids include:
*''Cystopteris × illinoensis'' (''C. bulbifera'' × ''C. tenuis''; allotriploid)
*''Cystopteris × wagneri'' (''C. tennesseensis'' × ''C. tenuis''; allo-allotetraploid)
*''Cystopteris fragilis'' × ''Cystopteris tenuis'' (allo-allotetraploid)
*''Cystopteris protrusa'' × ''Cystopteris tennesseensis'' (allotriploid)
References
*David B. Lellinger, Lellinger, David B. ''A Field Manual of the Ferns & Fern-Allies of the United States & Canada''. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC. 1985.
External links
Jepson Manual TreatmentUSDA Plants ProfileFlora of North America
{{Taxonbar, from=Q881825
Cystopteris,
Polypodiales
Fern genera