List of pteridophytes of Sri Lanka explained

Sri Lanka is a tropical island situated close to the southern tip of India. The invertebrate fauna is as large as it is common to other regions of the world. There are about 2 million species of arthropods found in the world, and more are still being discovered to this day. This makes it very complicated and difficult to summarize the exact number of species found within a certain region.

This is a list of the pteridophytes found from Sri Lanka.

Pteridophytes

Pteridophytes are vascular plants which reproduce by spores. These free sporing vascular plants show a remarkable life cycle with independent gametophyte and sporophyte generations. Pteridophytes are composed of ferns and lycophytes. Ferns consist of stems, leaves and roots. The stem is usually referred to as rhizome, which is sometimes underground in nature. Most species show stolons and few are with semi-woody trunks. Leaves are referred to as a frond. New leaves typically expand by the unrolling of a tight spiral, the phenomenon known as circinate vernation.[1] There are about 10,560 known species of ferns in the world.[2]

Lycopods are belong to the division Lycopodiophyta, and some are homosporous while others are heterosporous. They differ from ferns due to presence of microphylls, which are the leaves that have only a single vascular trace. There are two extant classes of lycopods, which contains a total of 12 genera and 1290 known species.

The earliest notes on pteridophyte diversity of Sri Lanka dated back to 1887 with Baker's Handbook to the Fern Allies and then in 1892 with Beddome's Handbook to the Ferns of British India, Ceylon, and the Malay Peninsula. In 1947, Copeland adopted a taxonomical system to describe modern taxa of pteridophytes of Sri Lanka. Based on these publications, Prof. R.N. de Fonseka and Mr. M.A.B Jansen prepared the checklist of the pteidophytes of Sri Lanka in 1978.[3] Since then, many experiments and research were carried out about particular families which are important to economy.[4] [5] [6] [7] [8]

The following article is based on the checklist by Fonseka and Jansen in 1978.[9]

Division Pteridophyta

Class Equisetopsida

Order Equisetales

Family Equisetaceae - Horsetails

Class Marattiopsida

Order Marattiales

Family Marattiaceae

Order Ophioglossales

Family Ophioglossaceae - Adder's-tongue ferns

Class Polypodiopsida

Order Cyatheales

Family Cyatheaceae - Scaly tree ferns

Order Gleicheniales

Family Gleicheniaceae - Forked ferns

Order Hymenophyllales

Family Hymenophyllaceae - Bristle ferns

Order Osmundales

Family Osmundaceae - Flowering ferns

Order Polypodiales

Family Athyriaceae
Family Aspleniaceae - Spleenworts
Family Blechnaceae
Family Cystopteridaceae
Family Davalliaceae
Family Dennstaedtiaceae
Family Diplaziopsidaceae
Family Dryopteridaceae - Wood ferns
Family Hypodematiaceae
Family Lindsaeaceae
Family Nephrolepidaceae - Swordferns
Family Oleandraceae
Family Polypodiaceae - Polypod ferns
Family Pteridaceae
Family Tectariaceae
Family Thelypteridaceae

Order Salviniales

Family Marsileaceae Pepperworts
Family Salviniaceae - Salvinias

Order Schizaeales

Family Lygodiaceae - Climbing ferns
Family Schizaeaceae

Class Psilotopsida

Order Psilotales

Family Psilotaceae - Whisk ferns

Division Lycopodiophyta

Class Isoetopsida

Order Selaginellales

Family Selaginellaceae - Spike mosses

Order Isoetales

Family Isoetaceae - Quillworts

Class Lycopodiopsida

Order Lycopodiales

Family Lycopodiaceae - Clubmosses

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Fern Fronds. Basic Biology. 2014-12-06 .
  2. Christenhusz, M. J. M. . Byng, J. W. . 2016 . The number of known plants species in the world and its annual increase . Phytotaxa . 261 . 201–217 . 10.11646/phytotaxa.261.3.1 . 3 . Magnolia Press . free .
  3. Web site: A check list of the pteridophytes of Sri Lanka . National Science Foundation of Sri Lanka. 14 November 2017.
  4. Web site: Taxonomy and Conservation Status of Pteridophyte Flora of Sri Lanka . Ministry of Environment, Sri Lanka. 14 November 2017.
  5. Web site: Research and development and innovations in floriculture: lessons from the market giants for developing countries like Sri Lanka . Research Gate . 14 November 2017.
  6. Web site: Conservation Priorities for Tree Ferns (Cyatheaceae) in Sri Lanka . tai2.ntu.edu.tw . 14 November 2017.
  7. Web site: Angiopteris evecta (Forst.) Hoffm: a potential source for antibacterial activity . University of Colombo . 14 November 2017.
  8. Web site: Cyathea srilankensis Ranil (Cyatheaceae): A New Tree Fern Species From Sri Lanka . bioone.org . 14 November 2017.
  9. Web site: Tentative keys to the families & genera of pteridophytes of Sri Lanka . libsys.wyb . 14 November 2017.

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