Family: Thelypteridaceae
Group: Pteridophyte
Substrate:
Terrestrial
Habit:
Herb
Perennation:
Perennial
Native Range: Peninsular Florida, the West Indies, southern Mexico, Central America and South America.
Map of select IRC data for peninsular Florida
NatureServe Global Status:
Apparently Secure
State of Florida Status:
Endangered
Florida Natural Areas Inventory State Status:
Critically Imperiled
IRC SOUTH FLORIDA Status:
Imperiled
SOUTH FLORIDA Occurrence:
Present
SOUTH FLORIDA Native Status:
Native
SOUTH FLORIDA Cultivated Status:
Cultivated
Comments: Very similar to
Thelypteris reticulata, but distinguished by pinnae with more, more regular, and sharper teeth along the margins.
T. serrata usually has a more tapered blade apex (i.e., the pinnae decrease in size toward the tip of the blade), where as the terminal pinna of
T. reticulata is as large or larger than all other pinnae.
Although ranked as critically imperlied by IRC in Rare Plants of South Florida (Gann, Bradley and Woodmansee 2002), a number of new populations have been discovered since 2002 and additional herbarium specimens have become available leading to the downranking of this to imperiled in April, 2014.
For more images, click on the Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants link below. See also Florida Natural Areas Inventory's
Field Guide to the Rare Plants of Florida page (Chafin 2000).