Nephrolepis

Genus of ferns

Nephrolepis
Nephrolepis exaltata
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Division: Polypodiophyta
Class: Polypodiopsida
Order: Polypodiales
Suborder: Polypodiineae
Family: Nephrolepidaceae
Pic.Serm.
Genus: Nephrolepis
Schott
Type species
Nephrolepis exaltata
(L.) Schott
Species

See text

Synonyms
  • Lepidoneuron Fée
  • Leptopleuria Presl
  • Lindsayoides Nakai

Nephrolepis is a genus of about 30 species of ferns. It is the only genus in the family Nephrolepidaceae, placed in the suborder Aspleniineae (eupolypods I) of the order Polypodiales in the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I).[1] (It is placed in the Dryopteridaceae in some other classifications.[2]) The genus is commonly referred to as macho ferns or Boston ferns.[citation needed] The fronds are long and narrow, and once-pinnate, in the case of one Bornean species reaching thirty feet (nine meters) in length.[3]

Phylogeny

The following cladogram for the suborder Polypodiineae (eupolypods I), based on the consensus cladogram in the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I),[1] shows a likely phylogenetic relationship between Nephrolepidaceae and the other families of the clade.

External phylogeny[1] Internal phylogeny[4][5]
Polypodiineae (eupolypods I)
Nephrolepis

N. rivularis

N. pectinata

N. pendula

N. lauterbachii

N. undulata

N. davalliae

N. abrupta

N. falcata

N. radicans

N. biserrata

N. falciformis

N. acutifolia

N. davallioides

N. brownii

N. hirsutula

N. obliterata

Selected species

  • Nephrolepis biserrata (Sw.) Schott. (syn. Aspidium bisseratum Sw., Aspidium acutum Schkuhr, Nephrolepis acuta (Schkuhr) C. Presl, Polypodium puctulatum Poir)
  • Nephrolepis cordifolia (L.) C. Presl (syn. Polypodium cordifolium L., Nephrolepis tuberosa (Bory ex Willd.) C. Presl, Aspidium tuberosum Bory ex Willd.)
  • Nephrolepis exaltata (L.) Schott (syn. Polypodium exaltatum L.)
  • Nephrolepis falcata
  • Nephrolepis multiflora (Roxb.) F.M. Jarret ex C.V. Morton (syn. Davallia multiflora Roxb.)
  • Nephrolepis obliterata
  • Nephrolepis pectinata (Willd.) Schott (syn. Aspidium pectinatum Willd.)
  • Nephrolepis tuberosa

Some species of Nephrolepis are grown as ornamental plants. Nephrolepis exaltata and Nephrolepis obliterata are reported to be good plants for cleaning indoor air.[6]

Some Nephrolepis species may prove to be a good source of new antimicrobial chemicals.[7]

References

  1. ^ a b c PPG I (2016), "A community-derived classification for extant lycophytes and ferns", Journal of Systematics and Evolution, 54 (6): 563–603, doi:10.1111/jse.12229, S2CID 39980610
  2. ^ USDA: Nephrolepis; family Dryopteridaceae. accessed 7 Sept. 2016.
  3. ^ Finn, Judith; Parsons, Jerry (Spring 1996). "A Mind-Boggling Variety of Life". Newsletter of the Univ. Of Calif. Botanic Gardens at Berkeley. 21 (2): 2.
  4. ^ Nitta, Joel H.; Schuettpelz, Eric; Ramírez-Barahona, Santiago; Iwasaki, Wataru; et al. (2022). "An Open and Continuously Updated Fern Tree of Life". Frontiers in Plant Science. 13: 909768. doi:10.3389/fpls.2022.909768. PMC 9449725. PMID 36092417.
  5. ^ "Tree viewer: interactive visualization of FTOL". FTOL v1.3.0. 2022. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  6. ^ Kent D. Kobayashi; Andrew J. Kaufman; John Griffis & James McConnell (2007). "Using Houseplants to Clean Indoor Air" (PDF). Cooperative Extension Service, College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources University of Hawai'i at Manoa: Ornamentals and Flowers. OF-37.
  7. ^ Rani D, Khare PB, Dantu PK"In Vitro Antibacterial and Antifungal Properties of Aqueous and Non-Aqueous Frond Extracts of Psilotum nudum, Nephrolepis biserrata and Nephrolepis cordifolia." Indian J Pharm Sci. 2010 Nov;72(6):818-22

Further reading

  • Hennequin, S., Hovenkamp, P., Christenhusz, M.J.M. & Schneider, H. (2010) Phylogenetics and biogeography of Nephrolepis – a tale of old settlers and young tramps. Bot. J. Linn. Soc. 164(2): 113–127. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8339.2010.01076.x
  • Lorenzi, H. & Souza, M. S. (2001). Plantas Ornamentais no Brasil: arbustivas, herbáceas e trepadeiras. Plantarum ISBN 85-86714-12-7
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Nephrolepis.
  • USDA Plants Profile for Nephrolepis (swordfern)
  • Nephrolepis biserrata At: Nephrolepis At: Biodiversity Database At: Cook Islands Biodiversity Website
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Classification of Archaeplastida or Plantae s.l.
Domain
Archaea
Bacteria
Eukaryota
(major groups
Excavata
Diaphoretickes
Hacrobia
Cryptista
Rhizaria
Alveolata
Stramenopiles
Plants
Amorphea
Amoebozoa
Opisthokonta
Animals
Fungi
Mesomycetozoea)
Archaeplastida
Picozoa
Rhodelphidia
Rhodophyta
(red algae)
Glaucophyta
incertae sedis
Viridiplantae
or Plantae s.s.
(green algae &
land plants)
Prasinodermophyta
 Chlorophyta
Prasinophytina
Chlorophytina
Streptophyta
Phragmoplastophyta
Anydrophyta
Embryophyta
(land plants)
  • (see below↓)
Embryophytes or Plantae sensu strictissimo
Bryophytes
Marchantiophyta
(liverworts)
Anthocerotophyta
(hornworts)
Bryophyta
(mosses)
 Polysporangiophytes
Protracheophytes*
Tracheophytes
(vascular plants)
Paratracheophytes*
Eutracheophytes
Lycophytes
Euphyllophytes
Moniliformopses
Lignophytes
Progymnosperms*
  • †Noeggerathiopsida
  • †Aneurophytopsida
  • †Archaeopteridopsida
  • †Protopityales
Spermatophytes
(seed plants)
Pteridosperms*
(seed ferns)
and other extinct
seed plant groups
Acrogymnospermae
(living gymnosperms)
Angiospermae
(flowering plants)
  • v
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  • e
Fern classification
  • Supergroup Plant:
  • Bryophyta
  • Marchantiophyta
  • Polypodiophyta
  • Acrogymnospermae
  • Angiospermae
Basal clade
Cladoxylopsida
  • †Cladoxylales
    • †Cladoxylaceae
    • †Voelkeliaceae
  • †Hyeniales
    • †Hyeniaceae
  • Iridopteridales
    • †Iridopteridaceae
  • Pseudosporochnales
    • †Pseudosporochnaceae
  • †Steloxylales
    • †Steloxylaceae
Polypodiopsida
†Stauropterididae
†Zygopterididae
Equisetidae
Equisetales
  • †Asterocalamitaceae
  • †Autophyllitaceae
  • †Honseleriaceae
  • Archaeocalamitaceae
  • †Paracalamitaceae
  • Calamitaceae
  • †Apocalamitaceae
  • †Konnostachyaceae
  • †Manchurostachyaceae
  • †Notocalamitaceae
  • †Schizoneuraceae
  • †Sorocaulinaceae
  • †Echinostachyaceae
  • †Gondwanostachyaceae
  • †Tchernoviaceae
  • Equisetaceae
Ophioglossidae
Psilotales
Ophioglossales
Marattiidae
Marattiales
  • †Knorripteridaceae
  • †Pecopteridaceae
  • †Ptychocarpaceae
  • †Weichseliaceae
  • †Asterothecaceae
  • †Danaeopsidaceae
  • Marattiaceae
Polypodiidae
  • †Anachoropteridales
    • †Anachoropteridaceae
    • †Psalixochlaenaceae
    • †Sermayaceae
  • †Botryopteridiales
    • †Botryopteridiaceae
  • †Senftenbergiales
    • †Senftenbergiaceae
  • †Urnatopteridales
    • †Crossothecaceae
    • †Discopteridaceae
    • †Urnatopteridaceae
Osmundales
Hymenophyllales
Gleicheniales
Schizaeales
Salviniales
Cyatheales
Thyrsopteridineae
Cyatheineae
Polypodiales
Saccolomatineae
Lindsaeineae
Pteridineae
Dennstaedtiineae
Aspleniineae
Polypodiineae
Taxon identifiers
Nephrolepis