''Schizaea'' is a small genus of specialized
ferns in the family
Schizaeaceae
Schizaeaceae is a family of ferns in the order Schizaeales. In the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I), it includes only two genera. Alternatively, two families kept separate in PPG I, Lygodiaceae and Anemiaceae, may be ...
. Common names include curlygrass fern and comb fern. Some species are very small and inconspicuous, and so may often be overlooked in nature. The genus is distinctive and not at all like the common conception of a fern, though it is still considered a true fern (leptosporangiate). The sterile fronds (trophophylls) are grass-like, and the spore-bearing fertile frond (
sporophyll) is similar, but with a small, pinnate fertile segment at its apex. The upper surface of the
pinnules bear the
sessile capsules.
Various of the roughly two dozen species have been reported from widely separated regions, including much of the tropical Old and New World, parts of the Eastern USA, Chile, the Falkland Islands, and various Pacific islands, including several islands of New Caledonia, as well as Australia and New Zealand.
[Brian Swale, Michael Hassler. Family Schizaeaceae, genus Schizaea. http://homepages.caverock.net.nz/~bj/fern/schizaea.htm] In Africa at least two species are
endemic to South Africa.
Species
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Schizaea amazonica''
( Christ) Takeuchi
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Schizaea australis''
Gaudich. -- Southern comb fern
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Schizaea bifida
''Schizaea bifida'', the forked comb fern is a fairly common fern found in eastern and southern Australia. Also seen in New Zealand and New Caledonia. In New South Wales it is found near the coast in heathland and eucalyptus woodland. Seen as a ...
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Willd. -- Forked comb fern
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Schizaea boninensis''
(Nakai) H. Ohba
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Schizaea dichotoma''
( L.) Sm. -- Fan fern
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Schizaea elegans''
(Vahl) Sw.
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Schizaea fistulosa
''Schizaea fistulosa'', the narrow comb fern is a small plant found in a variety of habitats. Widespread but a fairly uncommon fern found in southern Australia. Also seen in other countries such as New Zealand, Chile and New Caledonia. A low pl ...
''
Labill. -- Comb fern, narrow comb fern
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Schizaea fluminensis''
Miers ex Sturm
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Schizaea incurvata
''Schizaea'' is a small genus of specialized ferns in the family Schizaeaceae. Common names include curlygrass fern and comb fern. Some species are very small and inconspicuous, and so may often be overlooked in nature. The genus is distinctive ...
''
Schkuhr
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Schizaea kikuzatonis''
M.Ogata
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Schizaea malaccana''
Bak.
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Schizaea montis-petrae''
Brade
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Schizaea pacificans''
Mart.
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Schizaea pectinata''
( L.) Sw.
Olof Peter Swartz (21 September 1760 – 19 September 1818) was a Swedish botanist and taxonomist. He is best known for his taxonomic work and studies into pteridophytes.
Biography
Olof Swartz attended the University of Uppsala where he st ...
*''
Schizaea poeppigiana''
Sturm
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Schizaea pseudodichotoma
''Schizaea'' is a small genus of specialized ferns in the family Schizaeaceae. Common names include curlygrass fern and comb fern. Some species are very small and inconspicuous, and so may often be overlooked in nature. The genus is distinctive ...
''
Bierh.
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Schizaea pusilla
''Schizaea pusilla'', the little curlygrass fern, is a species of fern in the family Schizaeaceae. It was first described by the German-American botanist Frederick Traugott Pursh
Frederick Traugott Pursh (or Friedrich Traugott Pursch) (Februar ...
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Pursh -- Curly grass fern, eastern North America
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Schizaea rhacoindusiata
''Schizaea'' is a small genus of specialized ferns in the family Schizaeaceae. Common names include curlygrass fern and comb fern. Some species are very small and inconspicuous, and so may often be overlooked in nature. The genus is distinctive ...
''
Bierh.
*''
Schizaea rupestris
''Schizaea rupestris'' is a small Australian fern. Most populations are in found in the ranges near Sydney. However, it also occurs near Woolgoolga and Western Australia.
The fern is a mat-shaped plant from which arise slender upright fronds co ...
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R. Br.
Robert Brown (21 December 1773 – 10 June 1858) was a Scottish botanist and paleobotanist who made important contributions to botany largely through his pioneering use of the microscope. His contributions include one of the earliest detailed ...
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Schizaea sprucei''
Hook. ex Bak.; Hook.
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Schizaea stricta
''Schizaea'' is a small genus of specialized ferns in the family Schizaeaceae. Common names include curlygrass fern and comb fern. Some species are very small and inconspicuous, and so may often be overlooked in nature. The genus is distinctive ...
''
Lellinger
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Schizaea tenella''
Kaulf.
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Schizaea × diversispora
''Schizaea'' is a small genus of specialized ferns in the family Schizaeaceae. Common names include curlygrass fern and comb fern. Some species are very small and inconspicuous, and so may often be overlooked in nature. The genus is distinctive ...
''
Bierh.
References
World species list for ''Schizaea'': http://homepages.caverock.net.nz/~bj/fern/schizaea.htm
External links
Smith's original description of the genus online at Project Gutenberg
Schizaeales
Fern genera
{{Polypodiidae-stub