127.500 Lygodium Sw.

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 Flora Zambesiaca

Description of the genus

Plants terrestrial, climber. Rhizome horizontal creeping, slender, dichotomously branched. Fronds climbing, numerous, dimorphic, specialised fertile pinnae with strongly reduced lamina parts bearing aggregated sporangia in marginal spike-like masses; with a slender twisting indeterminate rhachis, stipe cylindric, rhachis cylindric to slightly flattened adaxially. Indumentum composed of single uniseriate hairs confined to the frond axes and veins, veins free. The climbing stem is, in fact, the stipe and the rhachis of an elongated frond. Secondary rhachis branches absent or present, alternate, dichotomously branched, with an arrested apical bud in each bifurcation. Pinnae borne in pairs along the secondary rhachis. Pinnae pinnate to 3-pinnatifid. Sporangia borne along the margins of pinnule lobes, borne separately in 2 rows at the veins endings, each sporangium subtended by an indusia-like flange covering it abaxially, homosporous.

Derivation of name: Lygodes: flexible, twining; a reference to the climbing nature of these ferns.

Worldwide: c. 40 species, pantropical and temperate distribution

Malawi: 1 taxon.

Lygodium microphyllum

Links to taxa:     View: living plant images - herbarium specimen images - all images for this genus

SpeciesFZ divisionsContent
microphyllum (Cav.) R. Br.CDescription, Image

Other sources of information about Lygodium:

Our websites:

Flora of Caprivi: cultivated Lygodium
Flora of Mozambique: Lygodium
Flora of Zambia: Lygodium
Flora of Zimbabwe: Lygodium

External websites:

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

Copyright: Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten, Petra Ballings and Meg Coates Palgrave, 2014-24

Hyde, M.A., Wursten, B.T., Ballings, P. & Coates Palgrave, M. (2024). Flora of Malawi: Genus page: Lygodium.
https://www.malawiflora.com/speciesdata/genus.php?genus_id=20, retrieved 29 March 2024

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