Gleichenia

Location & distribution maps

Phylogeny & links to associated information

Wikipedia links:       onilophytes > Gleicheniales > Gleicheniaceae > Gleichenia 

Other links:    

Species:    G dicarpa   G sp

Plant  information

Common name:         . . .  

Conservation status: . . .

Etymology:   

• Named in honour of F.W. Gleichen (1717-83), German amateur naturalist

Spores:                            

• The sori are found at the bottom of the leaves and are made of a few sporangia

• They are not covered by an indusium (protective covering)

• The sori occur in a unique chamber in the laminar pits - a feature found only in this genus

Leaves:         

• The compound eaves fork multiple times

• Final leaf lobes ending in a pinnate arrangement

Stem & branches: 

Roots:         

• These ferns have creeping rhizomes

Habit:        

• Gleichenia is a genus of ferns

Habitat:   

Distribution:                  

Species:                     

• World:           42      taxa

• Australia:       6      species

Additional notes:     

• Its closest relative is the genus Stromatopteris, restricted to New Caledonia

• Fossil record

  • The fossil record indicates that this genus had emerged by the late Jurassic period, although it was far more common in the early Cretaceous period

  • There is some evidence that it may have emerged even earlier - in the upper Triassic period

  • There are, however, multiple genera in the fossil record that show a similar leaf branching pattern to Gleichenia, which can make it difficult to determine the exact identity of a specimen that does not have adequately preserved fruiting bodies

  • Fossils have been found in across a wide geograhic range including:

    • The Pariwar formation in India (Jurassic-Cretaceous boundary)

    • Gardeshwar in India (early Cretaceous)

    • The Silty Beds of Bedfordshire in England (early Albian age, early Cretaceous)

    • The USA (Cretaceous)

  • NSW, Australia (Miocene epoch, Neogene period)

• The following species are recognised as of February 2023:

  • Gleichenia abscida Rodway

  • Gleichenia alpina R.Br.

  • Gleichenia alstonii Holttum

  • Gleichenia cryptocarpa

  • Gleichenia delawarensis Berry, 1907

  • Gleichenia delicatula Heer, 1874

  • Gleichenia dicarpa R.Br. – Pouched coral fern, tangle fern

  • Gleichenia elongata Baker

  • Gleichenia giesekiana Heer, 1868

  • Gleichenia gilbertthompsoni Fontaine, 1905

  • Gleichenia gracilis Heer, 1874

  • Gleichenia hamiltoniana Zoll.

  • Gleichenia hesperia Brown, 1962

  • Gleichenia hispida Blume

  • Gleichenia inclusisora Perrie, L.D.Sheph. & Brownsey

  • Gleichenia kurriana Heer, 1869

  • Gleichenia liebmannii T.Moore

  • Gleichenia matthewii Holttum

  • Gleichenia mendellii (G.Schneid.) S.B.Andrews

  • Gleichenia micromera Heer, 1874

  • Gleichenia microphylla R.Br. – Scrambling coral fern, parasol fern, umbrella fern

  • Gleichenia nordenskioeldi Heer, 1874

  • Gleichenia obscura Knowlton, 1901

  • Gleichenia paleacea (Copel.) Holttum

  • Gleichenia peltophora Copel.

  • Gleichenia polypodioides (L.) Sm.

  • Gleichenia protogaea Debey & Ettingshausen, 1906

  • Gleichenia pruinosa Christ, 1903

  • Gleichenia pubescens Hook., 1865

  • Gleichenia pulchella Knowlton, 1913

  • Gleichenia rhombifolia Hollick, 1902

  • Gleichenia rupestris R.Br.

  • Gleichenia sartorii (Fée) T.Moore

  • Gleichenia saundersii Berry, 1903

  • Gleichenia sectacropterygium Diels & Prantl

  • Gleichenia spec (Linnaeus, 1759) Spreng.

  • Gleichenia squamulosa

  • Gleichenia subflabellata Christ & Bonap.

  • Gleichenia tenuis C.Presl

  • Gleichenia tuberculata Mett.

  • Gleichenia vulcanica Blume

  • Gleichenia ×punctulata Colenso

Sources of information:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gleichenia (2023)