Plants terrestrial or rarely on rock. Stems long-creeping to erect, slender to stout, not climbing; scales brown. Leaves monomorphic (dimorphic in 1 species), clustered or well separated. Blades pinnate or pinnatifid. Rachises and costae scaly. Veins anastomosing in both sterile and fertile leaves, forming a regular series of areoles along costae and costules, further anastomosing in 1 species. Sori discrete, in chainlike rows along costae or costules, extending only the length of individual areolar veins. Spores with perine irregularly folded. x = 34, 35.

Distribution

North America, Central America, Mediterranean Europe, e Asia.

Discussion

Woodwardia radicans (Linnaeus) Smith has been reported as an escape from cultivation in Florida and in the Sierra Nevada in California; it has not persisted. It and the commonly cultivated Woodwardia unigemmata Makino resemble Woodwardia fimbriata Smith, but both W. radicans and W. unigemmata are distinguished by having a scaly bulblet near the apex of the leaf.

Species 14 (3 in the flora).

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

Woodwardia areolata, Woodwardia fimbriata, Woodwardia virginica

Key

1	Leaves strongly dimorphic; sterile blades ± pinnatifid, with 2 or more rows of areoles between costae and margin, veins free only at margin.	Woodwardia areolata
1	Leaves ± monomorphic; sterile blades pinnate, with 1 row of areoles adjacent to costae or costules, veins free to margin.	> 2
2	Stems forming stout caudex covered with petiole bases, suberect; petioles straw-colored and densely covered with orangish scales at base; pinnae not articulate to rachis.	Woodwardia fimbriata
2	Stems relatively slender to ca. 1 cm diam., long- creeping; petioles blackish and glabrate at base; pinnae articulate to rachis.	Woodwardia virginica