Vittaria lineata

(Linnaeus) Smith

5: 421. 1793.

Common names: Shoestring fern
Illustrated
Basionym: Pteris lineata Linnaeus Sp. Pl. 2: 1073. 1753
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 2.

Plants epiphytic. Stems short-creeping, branched, densely scaly; scales brown, apex attenuate, filiform. Leaves 10–60 cm × 1–3 mm, petioles indistinct. Sporangia protected by soral paraphyses that lack dilated terminal cells. Spores monolete. Gametophytes much branched. Gemmae tapering at ends, end cells not swollen; body cells 4–16, rhizoid primordia on each end cell, often on 1–2 medial cells. 2n = 120.


Habitat: Epiphytic, most commonly on trunks of palms (Sabal palmetto Loddiges), in moist woods and especially along streams
Elevation: 0–100 m

Distribution

V2 624-distribution-map.gif

Fla., Ga., Mexico, West Indies, Central America, South America

Discussion

Sporophytes, now extirpated, once occurred on rock cliffs at a single site in Lincoln County, east central Georgia. Vittaria lineata is now known outside of Florida only in Camden County, in southeastern Georgia. Gametophytes commonly form the dominant cover on moist logs and tree trunks, especially the bases of Sabal palmetto palms, within the range of the sporophyte. Such populations usually contain numerous small, sexually produced sporophytes.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.
... more about "Vittaria lineata"
filiform +  and attenuate +
polygonal +
Donald R. Farrar +
(Linnaeus) Smith +
Pteris lineata +
Shoestring fern +
Fla. +, Ga. +, Mexico +, West Indies +, Central America +  and South America +
0–100 m +
not swollen +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br />) +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
Epiphytic, most commonly on trunks of palms (Sabal palmetto Loddiges), in moist woods and especially along streams +
10 cm100 mm <br />0.1 m <br /> (60 cm600 mm <br />0.6 m <br />) +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br />) +
Illustrated +
Vittaria lineata +
Vittaria +
species +
anastomosing +