''Nephrolepis'' is a genus of about 30 species of

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 exce ...

s. It is the only genus in the family Nephrolepidaceae, placed in the suborder

Aspleniineae Aspleniineae is a suborder of ferns in the order Polypodiales. It is equivalent to the clade eupolypods II in earlier systems; it is also treated as a single very broadly defined family Aspleniaceae. The suborder generally corresponds with the o ...

(eupolypods I) of the order

Polypodiales The order Polypodiales encompasses the major lineages of polypod ferns, 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. Description Polypodiale ...

in 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 relatio ...

classification of 2016 (PPG I). (It is placed in the

Dryopteridaceae The Dryopteridaceae are a family of leptosporangiate ferns in the order Polypodiales. They are known colloquially as the wood ferns. In the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I), the family is placed in the suborder ...

in some other classifications.) The genus is commonly referred to as macho ferns or Boston ferns. The fronds are long and narrow, and once-pinnate, in the case of one Bornean species reaching thirty feet (nine meters) in length.

Phylogeny

The following cladogram for the suborder

Polypodiineae Polypodiineae is a suborder of ferns in the order Polypodiales. It is equivalent to the clade eupolypods I in earlier systems, and to the very broadly defined family Polypodiaceae in the classification of Christenhusz & Chase (2014). It probably ...

(eupolypods I), based on the consensus cladogram in the

classification of 2016 (PPG I), shows a likely

phylogenetic In biology, phylogenetics (; from Greek φυλή/ φῦλον [] "tribe, clan, race", and wikt:γενετικός, γενετικός [] "origin, source, birth") is the study of the evolutionary history and relationships among or within groups o ...

relationship between Nephrolepidaceae and the other families of the clade.

Selected species

* ''

Nephrolepis biserrata ''Nephrolepis biserrata'' (giant swordfern, 长叶肾蕨) is a tropical fern, endemic to Florida, Mexico, the West Indies, Central America, South America, Africa, and southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-Ea ...

'' (Sw.) Schott. ( syn. ''Aspidium bisseratum'' Sw., ''Aspidium acutum'' Schkuhr, ''Nephrolepis acuta'' (Schkuhr) C. Presl, ''Polypodium puctulatum'' Poir) * '' Nephrolepis cordifolia'' (L.) C. Presl (syn. ''Polypodium cordifolium'' L., ''Nephrolepis tuberosa'' (Bory ex Willd.) C. Presl, ''Aspidium tuberosum'' Bory ex Willd.) * ''

Nephrolepis exaltata ''Nephrolepis exaltata'', known as the sword fern or Boston fern, is a species of fern in the family Lomariopsidaceae (sometimes treated in the families Davalliaceae or Oleandraceae, or in its own family, Nephrolepidaceae). It is native to the A ...

'' (L.) Schott (syn. ''Polypodium exaltatum'' L.) * '' Nephrolepis falcata'' * '' Nephrolepis multiflora'' (Roxb.) F.M. Jarret ex C.V. Morton (syn. ''Davallia multiflora'' Roxb.) * ''

Nephrolepis obliterata ''Nephrolepis obliterata'', the Kimberley Queen fern or Australian swordfern, is a species of fern in the family Nephrolepidaceae. This fern originated in Australia, but is relatively easy to cultivate indoors worldwide. The often misspelled "Ki ...

'' * '' Nephrolepis pectinata'' (Willd.) Schott (syn. Aspidium pectinatum Willd.) * '' Nephrolepis tuberosa'' Some species of ''Nephrolepis'' are grown as

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that ...

s. ''Nephrolepis exaltata'' and ''Nephrolepis obliterata'' are reported to be good plants for cleaning indoor air. Some ''Nephrolepis'' species may prove to be a good source of new antimicrobial chemicals.Rani D, Khare PB, Dantu PK"In Vitro Antibacterial and Antifungal Properties of Aqueous and Non-Aqueous Frond Extracts of Psilotum nudum, Nephrolepis biserrata and Nephrolepis cordifolia." Indian J Pharm Sci. 2010 Nov;72(6):818-22

References

External links

USDA Plants Profile for ''Nephrolepis'' (swordfern)

''Nephrolepis biserrata''
At
''Nephrolepis''
At
Biodiversity Database
At
Cook Islands Biodiversity Website
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1972619 Polypodiales Fern genera

Phylogeny

Selected species

References

Further reading

External links