''Thelypteris'' (maiden ferns) is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

fern The ferns (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta) are a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. They differ from mosses by being vascular, i.e., having specialized tissue ...

s in the subfamily Thelypteridoideae, family Thelypteridaceae, order

Polypodiales The Order (biology), 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 Tropics, tropical, semitropical and Temperate clima ...

. Two radically different circumscriptions of the genus are in use . In the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I), the genus is a very small one with about two species. In other approaches, the genus is the only one in the subfamily Thelypteridoideae, and so includes between 875 and 1083 species. The genus name is from Greek ''thēlys'' "female" and ''pteris'' "fern". However, "female fern" usually refers to the common lady-fern.

Taxonomy

At one time, all thelypterioid ferns were included in the genus ''

Dryopteris :''The moth genus ''Dryopteris'' is now considered a junior synonym of ''Oreta. ''Dryopteris'' , commonly called the wood ferns, male ferns (referring in particular to ''Dryopteris filix-mas''), or buckler ferns, is a fern genus in the family Dry ...

'' because of the sorus shape. However, there are a great many differences between the groups, and these plants are now segregated in their own family. Some researchers include the entire family Thelypteridaceae in the genus ''Thelypteris''. An intermediate position is to place the bulk in ''Thelypteris'' (corresponding to Thelypterioideae of PPG I), which can then be divided into subgenera and sections corresponding to the genera of other authors, but to separate out '' Phegopteris'' and '' Macrothelypteris''. Another choice is to divide the family into many genera, one of which is ''Thelypteris''. This is the approach taken in the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I).

Species

Using the circumscription of the genus in PPG I, , the ''Checklist of Ferns and Lycophytes of the World'' accepted three species: *'' Thelypteris confluens'' (Thunb.) C.V.Morton *'' Thelypteris krayanensis'' K.Iwats. & M.Kato *'' Thelypteris palustris'' (Salisb.) Schott Other sources place the entire subfamily Thelypteridoideae in the genus, and so accept many more species, including the following (synonyms from the ''Checklist of Ferns and Lycophytes of the World''): * ''Thelypteris aculeata'' A.R.Sm. = '' Amauropelta aculeata'' * ''Thelypteris appressa'' A.R.Sm. = '' Amauropelta appressa'' * ''Thelypteris bonapartii'' (Rosenst.) Alston = '' Amauropelta bonapartii'' * ''Thelypteris campii'' A.R.Sm. = '' Amauropelta campii'' * ''Thelypteris chimboracensis'' A.R.Sm. = '' Amauropelta chimboracensis'' * ''Thelypteris conformis'' (Sodiro) A.R.Sm. = '' Amauropelta conformis'' * ''Thelypteris correllii'' A.R.Sm. = '' Amauropelta correllii'' * ''Thelypteris dodsonii'' A.R.Sm. = '' Amauropelta dodsonii'' * ''Thelypteris elegantula'' (Sodiro) Alston = '' Amauropelta elegantula'' * ''Thelypteris euthythrix'' A.R.Sm. = '' Amauropelta euthythrix'' * ''Thelypteris fluminalis'' A.R.Sm. = '' Amauropelta fluminalis'' * ''Thelypteris inabonensis'' Proctor = '' Amauropelta inabonensis'' * ''Thelypteris kunthii'' ( Desv.) Morton = '' Christella normalis'' * ''Thelypteris macra'' A.R.Sm. = '' Amauropelta macra'' * ''Thelypteris nevadensis'' (Baker) Clute ex Morton = '' Parathelypteris nevadensis'' * ''Thelypteris noveboracensis'' (L.) Nieuwl. = '' Parathelypteris noveboracensis'' * ''Thelypteris ovata'' R.P.St.John = '' Pelazoneuron ovatum'' * ''Thelypteris pilosa'' (M.Martens & Galeotti) Crawford = '' Stegnogramma pilosa'' * ''Thelypteris puberula'' (Baker) Morton = '' Christella puberula'' * ''Thelypteris rosenstockii'' (C.Chr.) R.M.Tryon = '' Amauropelta rosenstockii'' * ''Thelypteris semilunata'' (Sodiro) A.R.Sm. = '' Amauropelta semilunata'' * ''Thelypteris simulata'' (Davenport) Nieuwl. = '' Coryphopteris simulata'' * ''Thelypteris subtilis'' A.R.Sm. = '' Amauropelta subtilis'' * ''Thelypteris verecunda'' Proctor = '' Goniopteris verecunda'' * ''Thelypteris yaucoensis'' Proctor = '' Goniopteris yaucoensis''

References

{{Authority control Thelypteridaceae Fern genera Taxonomy articles created by Polbot