EQUISETALES Position uncertain.

OPHIOGLOSSALES

1:15 Horsetail, Dutch rush Almost cosmopolitan

Psilotaceae
?

2:12 Whisk ferns, Fork ferns

Grape ferns, Adders tongue, Moonwort

Ophioglossaceae
Temperate & tropical Mycotrophic herbs, few epiphytes 4-5:80

4-7:20 Royal fern, Cinnamon fern

Ferns: A chart of fern families

Equisetaceae
Rhizomatous herbs

Rootless, mainly epiphytes Trop, Austr, NZ, & Pacic

PSILOTALES

Osmundaceae
Tropics & temp Distinct fertile lvs/lf parts OSMUNDALES

4(-6):150-200+

LEPTOSPORANGIATE FERNS
2:4 Malaysia, Pacic Matoniaceae Dipteridaceae Creeping S & E Asia, rhizomes Melanesia, (2) W Polynesia GLEICHENIALES (1) includes Stromatopteris & Dicranopteridaceae, (2) Cheiropleuriaceae. 2:11 Ferns with creeping stems

This chart depicts a phylogeny of all living ferns. The disks represent families of ferns. Groups of related families are indicated by a hierarchy of regions. Some of these groups are named. Insets below describe the information associated with each family, and provide a key and notes to the chart. For more than 250 years, families of plants and relationships between families were determined mainly by morphology (the structure, shape and number of plant parts). Since the early 1990s, genetic information has become available and and now the afnity of species, genera and families is determined primarily by molecular evidence. This chart is based on recent work aimed at resolving the molecular phylogeny of ferns and will be revised as new results become available. Most placements are now well-established, but uncertainties remain - these are indicated on the chart. The aim of the chart is to present some of the recent work on fern phylogeny in an attractive and easily assimilable form, and, at the same time, to provide a map of fern families with brief notes on each family. We hope that this will prove a useful resource.

Marattiaceae
Large ferns with eshy roots Some edible tubers Potato fern (Sub)tropics
MARATTIALES

6:125 Forking ferns

Gleicheniaceae
Thicket-forming ferns Tropics, warm and S temperate (1)

2-9:600

Hymenophyllaceae
Widespread, tropics moist places, many epiphytic/lithophytic Bristle ferns, Filmy ferns HYMENOPHYLLALES Includes Trichomanaceae. Some spp. with vegetatively propagating gametophytes. 1:25 Vine-like climbers

SCHIZAEALES (1) includes Mohriaceae.

Widespread, tropics : 2:30

3:75 Rooted aquatic and marsh ferns

2:16 Widespread,trop

Marsileaceae
Widespread Pillwort (Pilularia), Clover ferns (1)

Salviniaceae
Free-oating water ferns, w/w.o. roots Mosquito ferns, Azolla

Schizaeaceae
Ray & Curly-grass ferns Comb ferns (Schizaea) Small ground ferns, linear or fan-like leaves

1:100+

Anemiaceae

(1)

SALVINIALES The heterosporous ferns. (1) includes Pilulariaceae.

Lygodiaceae
Climbing ferns (Sub)tropics, E As & N Am

Rhizomes creeping to suberect, lvs dimorphic America, Africa, Indian Ocean, India

CYATHEALES All families include tree ferns, except (1), (2) and (3). Family relationships not fully resolved: (7) may be sister to (3)-(6). (4) includes Hymenophyllopsis (small, creeping ferns from the Guiana Highlands) and Alsophilaceae; (5) includes Lophosoria.
1:1 (7) Thyrsopteridaceae Juan Fernandez Islands A tree fern 1:2

2:2 Andes, C Am, NZ

Lox(s)omataceae

(3) 3:30 Woolly, Bristly, Soft (etc.) tree ferns

Metaxyaceae
Stems erect to prostrate Tropical Am

(4) 4-5:600+

CORE LEPTOSPORANGIATES
POLYPODIALES The polypod ferns: approx. 80% of all living fern species are here. (1) includes the grammitid ferns, Grammitidaceae (c20 genera, c600 spp), Pleurosoriopsis and Gymnogrammitis. Some families, family placements and relationships are tentative, especially in Eupolypod II. (9)-(13) are Woodsiaceae s.l.; likewise (4) and (5) are separated, as are (6)-(8): all these are provisional. Lindsaeaceae may be sister to all other Polypods. (2) position in Eupolypod I not fully resolved. (3) includes Stenochlaenaceae, (4) Elaphoglossum (with Microstaphyla & Peltapteris), (11) Hemidictyum (which may be separated as a family). (14) includes Arthropteris and Psammiosorus (tentatively), (15) Cylopeltis and (16) Sphaerostephanaceae. Generic limits in (14) are unclear. Some species in (1) and (17) have vegetatively propagating gametophytes. 1-2:12
1:2

Ferns with creeping rhizomes 1:2

(2)

Cyatheaceae
Scaly tree ferns Silver, Lacy, Black, Norfolk Island (etc.) tree ferns (Sub)tropics

1:15

Dicksoniaceae
Trop Am, SW Pacic, Austr, SE Asia, St Helena (5) 1:11

Culcitaceae

Tree ferns American tropics, Lvs 1-pinnate, diMacaronesia, morphic, stems erect SW Europe (1) (Sub)trop Asia &

Plagiogyriaceae

Cibotiaceae
E&SE Asia, C Am, Hawaii Rhizomes massive, (6) some tree ferns Pulu bre

America

EUPOLYPODS

Lonchitidaceae

Saccolomataceae
Terrestrial, rhizomes trunk-like Pantropical 50-60:950 Maidenhair, Parsley, Lip, Carrot & Shoestring ferns, Water sprite Terrestrial/epiphytic, inc. rock, desert & aquatic ferns: Widespread, (sub)tropics

34-45:1700

(4)

Dryopteridaceae
Cosmopolitan, tropics Shield & Sword ferns, Wood, Male & Buckler ferns, Christmas fern,Afr water fern Terrestrial, epiphytes and aquatics
3:6-7 Mahogany fern/ Tree maidenhair Hypodematiaceae Pantropical, OW

1:19 (Sub)tropics

(2) (6-)8-10(-15):230 (14)

6-9:200

Tomato fern Trop Am, Afr, Madgscr

Lindsaeaceae
Terrestrial, few epiphytes, usually long-creeping rhizomes Pantropical (6) 10-11:170 Bracken

(17)

Boston fern, aceae Kimberley queen fern, Ladder fern (Nephrolepis)

Nephrolepid-

Tectariaceae
(Sub)tropics (SE Asia) Terrestrial ferns

2-5:65 Hares foot fern (Davallia)

Davalliaceae
OW (sub)tropics,Pacic Creeping rhizomes, Epiphytes, few lithophytes

(8)

1:1

Cystodiaceae
Large fern with creeping trunk SE Asia

Pteridaceae

Lomariopsidaceae
(Sub)tropics Creeping, climbing or semi-epiphytes 1-pinnate (15) 1:40 Terrestrial, epiphytic, some climbing

3:47

Designed by David E. Rydeheard, University of Manchester, U.K. Copyright 2011. All rights reserved. Version 1.1 (Online)

(7)

50-80:1200

(1)

Polypodiaceae
Tropics, few temperate Epiphytes and lithophytes, some terrestrial or aquatic, rhizomes creeping Polypody (inc Licorice fern), Staghorn fern, Java fern

(5)

Oleandraceae
Lvs simple; some thicket-forming Tropics

Dennstaedtiaceae
Cosmopolitan, mainly tropics: some edible Terrestrial, few climbers, long-creeping rhizomes (1-)2(-10):700

Aspleniaceae
Birds nest fern, Spleenworts, Rusty-back, Walking fern (Asplenium), Wall-rue, Harts-tongue Widespread, (sub)tropics (11)
3:4-5 DiplaziopsidMed-large aceae forest ferns SE & E As, Trop & C Am, Polynesia

1-3(4):25 Tufted rock ferns

Woodsiaceae
Temp, cool temp, few (sub)tropical Woodsia (9) 5-30:950 Widespread, (sub)tropics

1-4:5 Terrestrial ferns

Onocleaceae
Sensitive fern, Ostrich fern N temp

(10)

5:610 Cosmopolitan

Athyriaceae
Lady ferns, Glade ferns, Vegetable fern (edible), Twinsorus ferns, Jp painted fern

Cystopteridaceae

4:21 Temp & warm, SE Asia, trop mtns (N temp)

(3)

2-10:200

Blechnaceae
Cosmopolitan Some tree ferns and climbing ferns Hard/Deer fern, Chain ferns, Rasp ferns, Crown fern

(12)

1:5-7 Rhachidosoraceae Med-large forest ferns, rocky areas Thick rhizomes SE/E Asia

EUPOLYPODS I EUPOLYPODS II

Thelypteridaceae
Terrestrial ferns Lemon-scented fern, Marsh & Beech (16) ferns

Oak fern (Gymnocarpium), Bladder ferns (13)

KEY:

FAMILY KEY
Approx. number of genera : Approx. number of species Family name Distribution Range of growth forms Some familiar ferns/products
Family circumscriptions are based on those of Christenhusz, Zhang & Schneider (2011).
2-10:200

Blechnaceae
Cosmopolitan Some tree ferns and climbing ferns Hard/Deer fern, Chain ferns, Rasp ferns, Crown fern

The size of the disk indicates the number of species, in ranges: 1-10 10-100 100-1000 1000-10000

Phrases in italics are to be read as mainly/predominantly, including centres of distribution. (Sub)tropics = tropics and subtropics. N/S/E/W = North/South/East/West, C = Central. SE Asia includes the islands between mainland Asia and Austr. C Am includes the Caribbean islands. OW = Old World.

NOTES:
The chart is available from www.botanicalchart.org.uk. The website gives details of the chart, its interpretation and sources. Several words of warning: Most of the families and relationships displayed here are well established. However, some uncertainties remain and these are noted. As further results appear, revised versions of the chart will be published. Common (or vernacular) names (in English) of ferns are included. These however should be treated with caution: a common name may be used for several different species and usage may vary around the world.