# Polypodiaceae

Polypodiaceae is a family of ferns. In the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I), the family includes around 65 genera and an estimated 1,650 species and is placed in the order Polypodiales, suborder Polypodiineae. A broader circumscription has also been used, in which the family includes other families kept separate in PPG I. Nearly all species are epiphytes, but some are terrestrial.

## Description

Stems of Polypodiaceae range from erect to long-creeping. The fronds are entire, pinnatifid, or variously forked or pinnate. The petioles lack stipules. The scaly rhizomes are generally creeping in nature. Polypodiaceae species are found in wet climates, most commonly in rain forests. In temperate zones, most species tend to be epiphytic or epipetric.
Notable examples of ferns in this family include the resurrection fern (Pleopeltis polypodioides) and the golden serpent fern (Phlebodium aureum).

## Taxonomy

Two distinct circumscriptions of the family are in use. The Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I) uses a circumscription of Polypodiaceae in which the family is placed in the suborder Polypodiineae (eupolypods I), along with eight other families. The relationship between the families is shown in the consensus cladogram below.
An alternative approach treats the suborder Polypodiineae as the family Polypodiaceae sensu lato, and reduces the families to subfamilies, so that the Polypodiaceae sensu stricto becomes the subfamily Polypodioideae. The broader circumscription is used by Plants of the World Online, as of August 2019; for example, the Dryopteridaceae, shown above as a separate family, is included in its Polypodiaceae. The broadly defined Polypodiaceae has been described as an "unwieldy megafamily".

### Subfamilies

Molecular phylogenetic analysis has led to the division of the Polypodiaceae into six subfamilies, and to the inclusion of genera that have at various times been placed in other families, including the Drynariaceae, Grammitidaceae, Gymnogrammitidaceae, Loxogrammaceae, Platyceriaceae, and Pleurisoriopsidaceae. The following cladogram shows a possible phylogenetic relationship between the subfamilies based on an analysis published in 2008; at the time, Grammitidoideae was not separated from Polypodioideae.
The subfamilies are treated as tribes in other systems. Mabberley, in 2008, treated all of Polypodiaceae except for the Platycerioideae (Platycerium and Pyrrosia) and the grammitid ferns, which he placed in Grammitidaceae, as the subfamily Polypodioideae, which he then divided into six tribes, four of which correspond to PPG I subfamilies (Drynarieae, Loxogrammeae, Microsoreae and Polypodieae) and others of which have been submerged (Selligueeae, now within Drynarioideae, and Lepisoreae, now within Microsoroideae). Other systems also treat the subfamilies as tribes. The equivalence is shown in the following table.
| PPG I | Christenhusz & Chase (2014) |
| Family Polypodiaceae J.Presl & C.Presl | Subfamily Polypodioideae B.K.Nayar |
| Subfamily Loxogrammoideae H.Schneid. | Tribe Loxogrammeae R.M.Tryon & A.F.Tryon |
| Subfamily Platycerioideae B.K.Nayar | Tribe Platycerieae Christenh. |
| Subfamily Drynarioideae Crabbe, Jermy & Mickel | Tribe Drynarieae Chandra |
| Subfamily Microsoroideae B.K.Nayar | Tribe Microsoreae V.N.Tu |
| Subfamily Polypodioideae Sweet | Tribe Polypodieae Hook. & Lindl. ex Duby |
| Subfamily Grammitidoideae Parris & Sundue | Tribe Polypodieae Hook. & Lindl. ex Duby |

### Genera

In the list that follows, the taxa shown with the "(=)" prefix are considered to be synonyms for the accepted subfamily name that they follow. However, this does not necessarily imply that the subfamily contains all of the synonym's previous genera.
Phylogeny of Polypodiaceae :
Loxogrammoideae
Dictymia
Loxogramme
Platycerioideae
Hovenkampia
Platycerium
Pyrrosia
Microsoroideae
Thylacoptereae
Thylacopteris
Goniophlebieae
Goniophlebium
Lecanopterideae
Bosmania
Dendroconche
Zealandia
Lecanopteris
Microsoreae
Microsorum
Microsorum species-group 2
Leptochilus
Lepisoreae
Paragramma
Ellipinema
Lemmaphyllum
Neolepisorus
Tricholepidium
Neocheiropteris
Lepidomicrosorium
Lepisorus
Drynarioideae
Syngramma
Drynaria
Selliguea
Polypodioideae
Phlebodium
Pecluma
Pleurosoriopsis
Polypodium
Pleopeltis
Campyloneuroideae
Microgramma
Niphidium
Campyloneurum
Adetogrammoideae
Adetogramma
Serpocauloideae
Serpocaulon
Grammitidoideae
Terpsichore
Parrisia
Adenophorus
Lomaphlebia
Grammitis species-group 2
Cochlidium
Grammitis
Leucotrichum
Alansmia
Enterosora
Ceradenia
Ascogrammitis
Mycopteris
Galactodenia
Melpomene
Stenogrammitis
Lellingeria
Moranopteris
Chrysogrammitis
Grammitis species-group 3
Dasygrammitis
Scleroglossum
Oreogrammitis graminella
Tomophyllum
Micropolypodium
Xiphopterella
Calymmodon
Grammitis stenophylla
Grammitis denticulata
Archigrammitis
Ctenopterella
Grammitis species-group 4
Notogrammitis
Oreogrammitis species-group 2
Prosaptia nutans
Oreogrammitis flavovirens
Archigrammitis species-group 2
Prosaptia
Oreogrammitis :
* Subfamily Adetogrammoideae Zhang & Wei
** Adetogramma Almeida
* Subfamily Campyloneuroideae Zhang & Wei
** Campyloneurum C.Presl
** Microgramma C.Presl
** Niphidium J.Sm.
* Subfamily Drynarioideae Crabbe, Jermy & Mickel (Drynarieae Subh.Chandra; Selligueeae Hennipman; Aglaomorpheae Chandra; Crypsinoideae Nayar)
** Drynaria (Bory 1825) Smith [Aglaomorpha]
** Pichisermollodes Fraser-Jenk. & Challis.
** Selliguea Bory [Arthromeris; Gymnogrammitis; Paraselliguea; Polypodiopteris]
** ×Sellimeris Fraser-Jenkins, Singh & Fraser-Jenkins
** Synammia C.Presl
* Subfamily Grammitidoideae Parris & Sundue [Grammitideae Presl; Mecosoreae Klotzsch; Pleurogrammeae Fée ex Pfeiffer]
   * Acrosorus Copel.
   * Adenophorus Gaudich.
   * Alansmia M.Kessler, Moguel, Sundue & Labiak
   * Archigrammitis Parris
   * Ascogrammitis Sundue
   * Calymmodon C.Presl
   * Ceradenia L.E.Bishop
   * Chrysogrammitis Parris
   * Cochlidium Kaulf. [Xiphopteris Kaulfuss]
   * Ctenopterella Parris
   * Dasygrammitis Parris
   * Enterosora Baker [Zygophlebia L.E.Bishop]
   * Galactodenia Sundue & Labiak
   * Grammitis Sw.
   * Lellingeria A.R.Sm. & R.C.Moran
   * Leucotrichum Labiak
   * Lomaphlebia J.Sm.
   * Luisma M.T.Murillo & A.R.Sm.
   * Melpomene A.R.Sm. & R.C.Moran
   * Micropolypodium Hayata
   * Moranopteris R.Y.Hirai & J.Prado
   * Mycopteris Sundue
   * Notogrammitis Parris
   * Oreogrammitis Copel. [Radiogrammitis Parris; Themelium (T.Moore) Parris]
   * Parrisia Shalisko & Sundue
   * Prosaptia C.Presl [Ctenopteris Blume ex Kunze non Brongniart ex de Saporta non Newman]
   * Scleroglossum Alderw. [Nematopteris van Alderwerelt van Rosenburgh]
   * Stenogrammitis Labiak
   * Terpsichore A.R.Sm.
   * Tomophyllum (E.Fourn.) Parris
   * Xiphopterella Parris
* Subfamily Loxogrammoideae H.Schneid. (Loxogrammeae R.M.Tryon & A.F.Tryon)
    Lacks sclerenchyma (supporting tissue) in plant body, except in the roots.
   * Dictymia J.Sm.
   * Loxogramme (Blume) C.Presl
* Subfamily Microsoroideae B.K.Nayar (Lepisoroideae Ching; Microsoreae V.N.Tu; Lemmaphylleae Tu)
   * Bosmania Testo
   * Dendroconche Copel.
   * Ellipinema Zhang & Zhang
   * Goniophlebium (Blume) C.Presl
   * Lecanopteris Reinw. ex Blume
   * Lemmaphyllum C.Presl
   * Lepidomicrosorium Ching & K.H.Shing
   * Lepisorus (J.Sm.) Ching
   * Leptochilus Kaulf. [Kontumia Wu & Lôc]
   * Microsorum Link [Kaulinia Nayar]
   * Neocheiropteris Christ.
   * Neolepisorus Ching
   * Paragramma (Blume) T.Moore
   * Phymatosorus Pichi-Sermolli
   * Podosorus Holttum
   * Thylacopteris Kunze ex J.Sm.
   * Tricholepidium Ching
   * Zealandia Testo
* Subfamily Platycerioideae B.K.Nayar (Platycerieae Christenhusz)
    Fronds with stellate hairs (star-shaped, radiating from center).
   * Hovenkampia Zhang & Zhou
   * Platycerium Desv.
   * Pyrrosia Mirb.
* Subfamily Polypodioideae Sweet (Polypodieae Hooker & Lindley ex Duby (sensu Mabberley 2008))
   * Pecluma M.G.Price.
   * Phlebodium (R.Br.) J.Sm.
   * ×Phlebosia Viane & Pompe
   * Pleopeltis Humb. & Bonpl. ex Willd.
   * Pleurosoriopsis Fomin
   * Polypodium L. Perhaps
* Subfamily Serpocauloideae Zhang & Wei
** Serpocaulon A.R.Sm.