(Fern flora of Viçosa, Minas Gerais State, Brazil: Dennstaedtiaceae, Lindsaeaceae and Saccolomataceae

Abstract

As part of an ongoing project treating the ferns and lycophytes from the region of Viçosa, Minas Gerais State, Brazil, we here present the taxonomic treatment of the early divergent lineages of the leptosporangiate ferns: the families Dennstaedtiaceae, Lindsaeaceae and Saccolomataceae. We have been sampling the remnant forest patches since 2012; we also fully reviewed the collection of herbarium VIC and other online collections: F, IAN, NY, PH, RB, U, UC, UPCB, US, and WTU. In the region of Viçosa, six taxa belonging to those families occur Dennstaedtia cicutaria and Pteridium esculentum subsp. arachnoideum (Dennstaedtiaceae); Lindsaea lancea var. lancea, L. quadrangularis subsp. quadrangularis, and L. stricta var. stricta (Lindsaeaceae); and Saccoloma elegans (Saccolomataceae). Among these taxa, only L. quadrangularis subsp. quadrangularis and S. elegans are endemic to the Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest; the remaining are widespread in the Neotropics. We present keys, descriptions, illustrations, examined specimens, and comments.