Pteridophyta: Polypodiales

Parkeriaceae - Water sprites or leather ferns

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

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

Description of the family

Aquatic or semi-aquatic fern; rooted or free floating plants that complete their life cycle in a very short time. Rhizome short, erect or creeping; roots few arising from near the stipe base, with scales. Stipes green, succulent. Fronds numerous, tufted, dimorphic, sometimes proliferous, pinnate or 2- or 3-pinnatifid, herbaceous, glabrous, venation forming a network. Sporangia borne on the ultimate segments; solitary along the veins, within the reflexed margins or covering the lower surface of the fertile lamina with the margin not modified or reflexed; homosporous.

Comment: Sometimes included as a subfamily in the Pteridaceae

Worldwide: 2 genera, c. 7 species worldwide

Mozambique: 2 genera and 2 taxa.

Ceratopteris thalictroides

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

GenusContent
Acrostichum L.Description, Image
Ceratopteris Brongn.Description, Image

Other sources of information about Parkeriaceae:

Our websites:

Flora of Botswana: Parkeriaceae
Flora of Caprivi: Parkeriaceae
Flora of Caprivi: cultivated Parkeriaceae
Flora of Malawi: Parkeriaceae
Flora of Zambia: Parkeriaceae
Flora of Zimbabwe: Parkeriaceae

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Parkeriaceae
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Parkeriaceae
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Parkeriaceae
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Parkeriaceae
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Parkeriaceae
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Parkeriaceae
JSTOR Plant Science: Parkeriaceae
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Parkeriaceae
Wikipedia: Parkeriaceae
Plants of the World Online: Parkeriaceae
Tropicos: Parkeriaceae



Copyright: Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten, Petra Ballings and Meg Coates Palgrave 2007-24

Hyde, M.A., Wursten, B.T., Ballings, P. & Coates Palgrave, M. (2024). Flora of Mozambique: Family page: Parkeriaceae.
https://www.mozambiqueflora.com/speciesdata/family.php?family_id=166, retrieved 28 March 2024

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