A Synopsis of the Ferns and Fern Allies of Nebraska, with Maps of Their Distribution

Authors

Steven B. Rolfsmeier, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Robert B. Kaul, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
David M. Sutherland, University of Nebraska at Omaha

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

2001

Citation

SIDA, Contributions to Botany (2001) 19(4): 1,015-1,026.

Comments

Copyright 2001, Botanical Research Institute of Texas. Used by permission.

Abstract

An annotated list and country-by-country distribution maps are presented for the 32 species of ferns and fern allies native to Nebraska, based upon field and herbarium studies and critical evaluation of the literature. Native to the state are Isoëtes melanopoda, Selaginella rupestris, five species of Equisetum, and 25 species in 18 genera of ferns. Three native species are here verified for the first time, based upon recent collections: Matteuccia struthiopteris var. pensylvanica, Ophioglossum engelmannii, and Pellacaglabella ssp. glabella. Isoëtes melanopoda was rediscovered in 2000, the first record since 1941. Rejected are published reports of Lycopodium annotinum, Selaginella densa, Equisetum × litorale, E. palustre, E. pratense, E. variegatum, Asplenium trichomanes, Azolla caroliniana, Botrychium dissectum, B. matricariifolium, B. multifidum, B. neglectum, Cryptogramma acrostichoides, Ophioglossum vulgatum, Osmunda cinnmomea, O. claytoniana, O. regalis, and Woodsia scopulina. Some erroneous reports have been published repeatedly for more than a century, but others are recent.