New and Improved Leaf Terminology for Gleicheniaceae

Shank W. Shaw ； Tom A. Ranker

《The American Fern Journal》 101卷2期 (2011/04) Pp. 117-124

並列摘要

The majority of ferns have determinate leaf ontogeny, which makes them suitable for a hierarchal system of leaf terminology to describe dissection and gross morphology. Gleicheniaceae are distinct among fern families because nearly all species have indeterminate and pseudodichotomously forking leaves. Given these two characteristics, the hierarchal system of leaf terminology is inappropriate and cumbersome to use. Therefore, Holttum (1957), Tryon and Tryon (1982), Andersen and Øllgaard (1996), and Lellinger (2002), among others, developed specialized leaf terminology to describe the morphology of Gleicheniaceae leaves. Although each system is sufficient, comparisons among the different systems are cumbersome and confusing. To reduce confusion and simplify, we propose a new leaf terminology system that: 1) is universal to all taxa in Gleicheniaceae, 2) is more useful to apply to partial-leaf herbarium specimens, and 3) clarifies the ambiguity of having multiple leaf terminology systems.

並列關鍵字

Gleicheniaceae ； Dicranopteris ； Diplopterygium ； Gleichenella ； Gleichenia ； Sticherus ； Stromatopteris ； leaf terminology ； frond terminology ； fern