Blechnaceae Newman
  • Hist. Brit. Ferns (ed. 2) 8. 1844. 
  • Chain Fern Family


Cite taxon page as 'WFO (2025): Blechnaceae Newman. Published on the Internet;http://www.worldfloraonline.org/taxon/wfo-7000000077. Accessed on: 04 Jun 2025'

Local Descriptions

Order descriptions by:

General Information

Plants perennial, mostly terrestrial, occasionally on rock or epiphytic. Stems creeping to suberect or ascending, sometimes climbing [rarely arborescent], slender to stout, dictyostelic, scaly. Leaves monomorphic or dimorphic, large and coarse, generally greater than 30 cm, often exceeding 1 m. Petiole not articulate, generally more than 2 vascular bundles arranged in arc, generally scaly at least at base. Blade often anthocyanic (reddish) when young, pinnatifid [rarely simple] to pinnate-pinnatifid or 2-pinnate [rarely decompound], glabrous or occasionally bearing scales or capitate glands. Rachis frequently grooved adaxially. Veins of sterile leaves generally free, rarely anastomosing, veins of fertile leaves united to form sorus-bearing secondary vein parallel to costa or costule (vascular commisure), sometimes anastomosing further. Sori elongate along secondary vein; indusia present [rarely absent], opening along costal side of fertile vein, frequently hidden by dehisced sporangia; sporangial stalk of 3 rows of cells. Spores monolete, reniform; perine present, variously ornamented. Gametophytes green, cordate, sometimes bearing capitate hairs, antheridia and archegonia borne on lower surface.

  • Provided by: [E].Flora of North America @ efloras.org
    • Source: [
    • 3
    • ]. 

    Plants mostly terrestrial, sometimes tree ferns (like small trees), rarely scandent. Rhizome mostly erect, or creeping or scandent, usually dictyostelic (Stenochlaena meristelic), scales brown, entire. Fronds monomorphic or dimorphic, mostly long stipitate; stipe with 2 to several vascular bundles, scaly at base; lamina pinnate, pinnatifid, or bipinnatifid, rarely simple, thickly papery to leathery, glabrous or usually with small scales; pinnae rarely articulate to rachis (Stenochlaena); veins free or anastomosing with 1 or more series of areoles, without included free veinlets. Sori elongate or continuous along vascular network or commissure on either side of midrib, indusiate, rarely exindusiate, rarely acrostichoid; indusium facing toward costa or costule; annulus longitudinal, interrupted. Spores elliptic, bilateral, monolete.

  • Provided by: [A].Flora of China @ efloras.org
    • Source: [
    • 4
    • ]. 

    Morphology

    Rhizome forming an erect trunk or wide–climbing, scaly at apex

  • Provided by: [B].Flora of West Tropical Africa - species descriptions
    • Source: [
    • 1
    • ]. 

    Rhizomes erect to long-creeping, scaly, scales not clathrate Usually terrestrial ferns, sometimes lithophytic, epiphytic or climbing

  • Provided by: [D].Plants Of the World Online Portal - FTEA
    • Source: [
    • 2
    • ]. 

    Fougères terrestres ou épiphytes.\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t Sporophytes': vivaces; rhizome rampant à dressé, parfois tige grimpante ou tronc aérien, paléacé au sommet, dictyostélique; paillettes non clathrées.'Feuilles'souvent ± coriaces; pétiole non articulé à la base, à plusieurs cordons fibro-vasculaires; limbe rarement simple, généralement pennatifide, penné ou découpé davantage; nervilles ramifiées, libres ou anastomosées, formant souvent un rang de mailles fermées de chaque côté de la nervure médiane des divisions ultimes, rarement plusieurs rangs de mailles fermées, ces rangs limités vers l'extérieur par une nervure ± parallèle à la nervure médiane. Sores situés sur la ou les nervures ± parallèles à la médiane, séparés ou unis en cénosores continus ; indusie absente ou présente, s'ouvrant vers la nervure médiane.'Sporanges grands; pédicelle long de 4-5 cellules; anneau de déhiscence longitudinal et interrompu, de 13-28 cellules à parois épaissies.\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t Spores bilatérales, avec ou sans périspore.\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t Gamétophytes bisexués, largement cordiformes à maturité, papilleux-poilus sur les 2 faces; partie médiane devenant parfois épaisse, portant une touffe dense de rhizoïdes brun rougeâtre; anthéridies à cellule de base colonnaire et à cellule de coiffe indivise.\n\t\t\tFamille groupant 8 genres et environ 250 espèces.\n\t\t\tC'est par erreur que Th. Durand et Schinz [Acad. Roy. Belg., Mém. in-8 , 53(4) : 343, 1896] ont signalé'Woodwardia radicans (L.) Sm. au Bas-Congo, d'après un spécimen recueilli par C. Smith. Cette espèce ne fait pas partie de notre flore.

  • Provided by: [C].Flore d'Afrique Centrale
    • Source: [
    • 5
    • ]. 

    Distribution

    This indusium is really a false indusium or modified leaf margin and the photosynthetic lamina of the fertile frond of Eu–Blechnum, which forms a flange extending beyond the indusium is a new structure (see Bower Ferns 3: 165 (1928))

  • Provided by: [B].Flora of West Tropical Africa - species descriptions
    • Source: [
    • 1
    • ]. 
    Flora of North America @ efloras.orgGeneral Information

    Plants perennial, mostly terrestrial, occasionally on rock or epiphytic. Stems creeping to suberect or ascending, sometimes climbing [rarely arborescent], slender to stout, dictyostelic, scaly. Leaves monomorphic or dimorphic, large and coarse, generally greater than 30 cm, often exceeding 1 m. Petiole not articulate, generally more than 2 vascular bundles arranged in arc, generally scaly at least at base. Blade often anthocyanic (reddish) when young, pinnatifid [rarely simple] to pinnate-pinnatifid or 2-pinnate [rarely decompound], glabrous or occasionally bearing scales or capitate glands. Rachis frequently grooved adaxially. Veins of sterile leaves generally free, rarely anastomosing, veins of fertile leaves united to form sorus-bearing secondary vein parallel to costa or costule (vascular commisure), sometimes anastomosing further. Sori elongate along secondary vein; indusia present [rarely absent], opening along costal side of fertile vein, frequently hidden by dehisced sporangia; sporangial stalk of 3 rows of cells. Spores monolete, reniform; perine present, variously ornamented. Gametophytes green, cordate, sometimes bearing capitate hairs, antheridia and archegonia borne on lower surface.

    Flore d'Afrique CentraleMorphology

    Fougères terrestres ou épiphytes.\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t Sporophytes': vivaces; rhizome rampant à dressé, parfois tige grimpante ou tronc aérien, paléacé au sommet, dictyostélique; paillettes non clathrées.'Feuilles'souvent ± coriaces; pétiole non articulé à la base, à plusieurs cordons fibro-vasculaires; limbe rarement simple, généralement pennatifide, penné ou découpé davantage; nervilles ramifiées, libres ou anastomosées, formant souvent un rang de mailles fermées de chaque côté de la nervure médiane des divisions ultimes, rarement plusieurs rangs de mailles fermées, ces rangs limités vers l'extérieur par une nervure ± parallèle à la nervure médiane. Sores situés sur la ou les nervures ± parallèles à la médiane, séparés ou unis en cénosores continus ; indusie absente ou présente, s'ouvrant vers la nervure médiane.'Sporanges grands; pédicelle long de 4-5 cellules; anneau de déhiscence longitudinal et interrompu, de 13-28 cellules à parois épaissies.\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t Spores bilatérales, avec ou sans périspore.\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t Gamétophytes bisexués, largement cordiformes à maturité, papilleux-poilus sur les 2 faces; partie médiane devenant parfois épaisse, portant une touffe dense de rhizoïdes brun rougeâtre; anthéridies à cellule de base colonnaire et à cellule de coiffe indivise.\n\t\t\tFamille groupant 8 genres et environ 250 espèces.\n\t\t\tC'est par erreur que Th. Durand et Schinz [Acad. Roy. Belg., Mém. in-8 , 53(4) : 343, 1896] ont signalé'Woodwardia radicans (L.) Sm. au Bas-Congo, d'après un spécimen recueilli par C. Smith. Cette espèce ne fait pas partie de notre flore.

    Flora of West Tropical Africa - species descriptionsMorphology

    Rhizome forming an erect trunk or wide–climbing, scaly at apex

    Distribution

    This indusium is really a false indusium or modified leaf margin and the photosynthetic lamina of the fertile frond of Eu–Blechnum, which forms a flange extending beyond the indusium is a new structure (see Bower Ferns 3: 165 (1928))

    Plants Of the World Online Portal - FTEAMorphology

    Rhizomes erect to long-creeping, scaly, scales not clathrate Usually terrestrial ferns, sometimes lithophytic, epiphytic or climbing Usually terrestrial ferns, sometimes lithophytic, epiphytic or climbing

    Flora of China @ efloras.orgGeneral Information

    Plants mostly terrestrial, sometimes tree ferns (like small trees), rarely scandent. Rhizome mostly erect, or creeping or scandent, usually dictyostelic (Stenochlaena meristelic), scales brown, entire. Fronds monomorphic or dimorphic, mostly long stipitate; stipe with 2 to several vascular bundles, scaly at base; lamina pinnate, pinnatifid, or bipinnatifid, rarely simple, thickly papery to leathery, glabrous or usually with small scales; pinnae rarely articulate to rachis (Stenochlaena); veins free or anastomosing with 1 or more series of areoles, without included free veinlets. Sori elongate or continuous along vascular network or commissure on either side of midrib, indusiate, rarely exindusiate, rarely acrostichoid; indusium facing toward costa or costule; annulus longitudinal, interrupted. Spores elliptic, bilateral, monolete.

    Other Local Names

    NameLanguageCountry
    Chain Fern Family

      Bibliography

     Information From

    Flora of China @ efloras.org
    World Flora Online Data. 2024.
    • A Missouri Botanical Garden
    Flora of West Tropical Africa - species descriptions
    World Flora Online Data. 2024.
    • B The Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
    Flore d'Afrique Centrale
    • C http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
    Plants Of the World Online Portal - FTEA
    World Flora Online Data. 2024.
    • D
    Flora of North America @ efloras.org
    World Flora Online Data. 2024.
    • E Flora of North America Association
    Blechnaceae
    https://about.worldfloraonline.org/tens/pteridophyte-phylogeny-group
    World Flora Online Data. 2022.
    • F CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0).
    World Flora Online consortium
    http://www.worldfloraonline.org/organisation/WFO
    World Flora Online Data. 2024.
    • G All Rights Reserved
    • H CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0).