Pteris altissima Poir.
Descripción
Rhizomes stout, erect; rhizome scales 1–2 X 0.5–0.8 mm, bicolorous, centers black, heavily sclerified, margins wide, brown, fringed; fronds 0.8–2.5 m tall; stipes ca. 1⁄2 the frond length, stramineous, glabrous; blades bipinnate to deeply pinnatepinnatifid, slightly pedate, pinna axils smooth; ultimate segments 3–6 cm long, bases cuneate, apices acute to acuminate, sterile margins serrate, the teeth slightly mucronate, sinuses symmetrical, adaxial surfaces glabrous, abaxial surfaces with scattered brown hairs 0.5 mm long along midribs; rachis awns absent or reduced to a minute bump; pinna awns 0.3–1 mm long; veins anastomosing with 2–5 areoles between costules, usually one row of areoles along costules, extending to base of sinuses; indusia 0.5 mm wide, whitened, entire; sporangia mixed with paraphyses 0.1–0.3 mm long; spores reddish brown; 2n=166 (Jam, Ver).A
Forma de vida
TerrestreA
Ejemplar revisado
Chis (Croat 40188, MEXU, MO; Purpus 6730, B, UC). Hgo (Copeland herb. 76a, UC; Estrada M. 182, ENCB). Oax (Martínez C. 412 MEXU, MICH, NY, UC; Mexia 9188, B, GH, MICH, NY, UC). Pue (Sánchez Mejorada & Chávez 638, ENCB, MEXU, US). SLP (King 4420, UC). Tab (Cowan et al. 3534, CSAT, ENCB, MEXU, UC). Ver (Conzatti 607, MEXU).A
Elevación
50 – 1400 mA
Tipo de vegetación
Selva alta, Bosque de neblina/mesófiloA
Categoría IUCN
No incluidaB
Categoría NOM-059-SEMARNAT-2010
No incluidaC
Discusión taxonómica
Pteris altissima is distinguished among the bi- or tripinnatifid awn-bearing taxa by the netted venation with 2–5 areoles between adjacent costules, parallel to costae. Smith (1981) reported intermediates between this species and Pteris orizabae from Chiapas, although none have been found elsewhere in Mexico.A