Osmunda OSMUNDACEAE-GLEICHENIACEAE Dicravopteris 



much contracted, with hardly any chlorophyll-bearing tissue: sporangia globose, opening 

 by a longitudinal cleft into two valves; annulus a cluster of apical cells. 13 species 

 (Named for Osmunder, a Saxon name for the Celtic god, Thor.) 



Key to the Species 



Sterile leaves deeply bipinnatifid; fertile and sterile leaves distinct ... 1. O. cinnamomea 



Sterile leaves bipinnate; pinnules large, oblong or lanceolate. 



Fertile and sterile leaves distinct 2. O. japonica 



Fertile pinnae at apex of sterile leaf 3. O. regalis 



1. Osmunda cinnamomea Linn. var. asiatica Fernald Asiatic Cinnamon Fern (Mak. 

 F. 965). Sterile leaves 6-10 dm. tall; fr. V-VI; stipes with reddish tomentum. 

 Siberia, China, japan; locally in Ki. Marsh land. 



2. Osmunda japonica Thunb. $ (Wei) (Mak. F. 964). Sterile leaves 6-10 dm. tall; 

 fr. IV-X; fertile leaves distinct. China, Japan; locally in An., Che., Ki., Ku. 

 Hillsides, streambanks. 



3. Osmunda regalis Linn. Royal Fern (G. M. 46). Sterile leaves to 1.6m. tall; fr. 

 VII- VIII; fertile pinnae at apex of leaf. Europe, North America, Asia; locally 

 in Ki. Hillsides. 



9. SCHIZAEACEAE Climbing Fern Family M&&1& (Hai Chin Sha K'o) 



Terrestrial ferns, ours with twining rachis, differing widely in form of leaves and 

 habit of growth : sporangia solitary, borne in two rows, sessile or subsessile, marginal 

 or near margin; annulus apical, complete. 4 genera. 



1. Lygodium Sw. Climbing Fern M&&M (Hai Chin Sha Shu; 



Golden Ocean Sand Genus) 



Twining vine-like ferns; rhizome hairy: rachis long, twining: lvs. palmately or 



pinnately lobed; sporangia in two rows borne on contracted ultimate divisions of the 



leaf and covered by imbricating scale-like indusia. 39 species. (Greek: lygodes, 



flexible; these ferns have vine-like lvs.) 



1. Lygodium japonicum (Thunb.) Sw. Japanese Climbing Fern (DeV.F. 48). Twining 



rachises 1-3 m. long; fr. VI-XI; fertile and sterile pinnae dimorphous. Asia, 



Australia; locally in An., Che., Ki., Ku. Hillsides. Fig. 5. 



10. GLEICHENIACEAE M^P\ (LiPai K'o) 

 Terrestrial ferns with long creeping rhizomes: leaves pinnate or pseudodichoto- 

 mously compound; veins free: sort dorsal, exindusiate: sporangia subsessile, few in 

 each sorus: annulus transverse, complete. Often considered as having only one genus; 

 Copeland recognizes 6; Ching recognizes 5. 



Key to the Genera 



Leaves pinnate above highest fork, with stipule-like pinnae at the fork- 



ings: rhizome pubescent 1. Dicranoptens 



Leaves bipinnate above the highest fork, without stipule-like segments at 



the forkings; rhizome scaly 2. Hicriopteris 



1. Dicranopteris Bernh. tf£&(WM (Shu Ch'ih Chiieh Shu) 

 Rhizome slender, widely creeping, clothed with long multicellular reddish brown 

 hairs; leaves uniseriate: stipe slender; rachises of different orders repeatedly pseudo- 



28 



