Pteridophyta

Psilotaceae - Whisk ferns

Burrows, J.E. (1990) Southern African Ferns and Fern Allies. Frandsen, Sandton.

Crouch, N.R., Klopper, R.R., Burrows, J.E. & Burrows, S.M. (2011) Ferns of Southern Africa, A comprehensive guide Struik Nature

Jacobsen, W.B.G. (1983) The Ferns and Fern Allies of Southern Africa. Butterworths, Durban and Pretoria.

Roux, J.P. (2001) Conspectus of Southern African Pteridophyta. Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report 13

Schelpe, E.A.C.L.E. (1970) Pteridophyta FZ

Description of the family

Epiphytic or lithophytic perennial plants. Rhizome shortly creeping, dichotomously or laterally branched, with endophytic mycorrhiza, without roots, with short and long rhizoids. Aerial stems linear, chlorophyllous, erect or pendulous, dichotomously branched, simple towards the base. Leaves much reduced, simple, scale-like, lacking a midrib, without ligules. Sporangia in globular, thick-walled synangia composed of 2 or 3 fused sporangia, exindusiate, homosporus.

Worldwide: 2 genera and 12 species. Tmesipteris confined to tropical Asia and western Oceania, Psilotum has a pantropical distribution.

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More sample images from the Psilotaceae (Click on each image to see a larger version and details of the record)

Psilotum nudum

Psilotum nudum

Psilotum nudum

Psilotum nudum

Psilotum nudum

Psilotum nudum

Psilotum nudum

Psilotum nudum

Psilotum nudum

Psilotum nudum

Links to genera:     View: living plant images - herbarium specimen images - all images for this family

GenusContent
Psilotum Sw.Description

Other sources of information about Psilotaceae:

Flora of Zimbabwe: Psilotaceae
GRIN (Germplasm Resources Information Network) taxonomy for plants report for Psilotaceae
Google: Web - Images - Scholar


Copyright: Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten, Petra Ballings and Stefaan Dondeyne 2007-13

Hyde, M.A., Wursten, B.T., Ballings, P. & Dondeyne, S. (2013). Flora of Mozambique: Family page: Psilotaceae.
http://www.mozambiqueflora.com/speciesdata/family.php?family_id=188, retrieved 25 May 2013

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