Wikipedia / Dryopteris
Wikipedia / 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 Dryopteridaceae, subfamily Dryopteridoideae, according to the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPGI). There are about 300-400 species in the genus. The species are distributed in Asia, the Americas, Europe, Africa, and the Pacific islands, with the highest diversity in eastern Asia. It is placed in the family Dryopteridaceae, subfamily Dryopteridoideae, according to the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPGI). Many of the species have stout, slowly creeping rootstocks that form a crown, with a vase-like ring of fronds. The sori are round, with a peltate indusium. The stipess have prominent scales.
Hybridization and polyploidy are well-known phenomena in this group, with many species formed via these processes. The North American Dryopteris hybrid complex is a well-known example of speciation via allopolyploid hybridization.
The fossil record of this genus shows that it was widespread even as far back as the Cretaceous with fossils being found in Late Cretaceous rock layers from North America down to Antarctica.
Selected species
The genus has a large number of species. The PPG I classification suggested there were about 400 species; , the Checklist of Ferns and Lycophytes of the World listed 328 species and 83 hybrids. Some genera sunk into Dryopteris, such as Dryopsis and Nothoperanema, are distinguished by other sources.
Dryopteris aemula – hay-scented buckler fern
Dryopteris affinis – scaly male fern
Dryopteris arguta – coastal wood fern
Dryopteris campyloptera – mountain wood fern
Dryopteris carthusiana – narrow buckler fern
Dryopteris celsa – log fern
Dryopteris cinnamomea – cinnamon wood fern
Dryopteris clintoniana – Clinton's wood fern
Dryopteris cristata – crested buckler fern
Dryopteris dilatata – broad buckler fern
Dryopteris erythrosora – autumn fern
Dryopteris expansa – northern buckler fern
Dryopteris filix-mas – male fern
Dryopteris fragrans – fragrant buckler fern, fragrant wood fern
Dryopteris goldieana – Goldie's wood fern
Dryopteris intermedia – intermediate wood fern
Dryopteris ludoviciana – southern wood fern
Dryopteris marginalis – marginal wood fern
Dryopteris mindshelkensis – rigid buckler fern
Dryopteris oreades – mountain male fern
Dryopteris remota – scaly buckler fern
Dryopteris tokyoensis – Tokyo wood fern
Dryopteris wallichiana – alpine wood fern
Ecology
Dryopteris species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Batrachedra sophroniella (which feeds exclusively on D.cyatheoides) and Sthenopiseauratus.
Cultivation and uses
Many Dryopteris species are widely used as garden ornamental plants, especially D. affinis, D. erythrosora, and D. filix-mas, with numerous cultivars.
Dryopteris filix-mas was throughout much of recent human history widely used as a vermifuge, and was the only fern listed in the U.S. Pharmacopoeia. Traditional use in Scandinavia against red mite (Dermanyssus gallinae) infestation is to place fronds in nesting boxes under nesting material and under floor covering material.
See also
References
External links