Hypoderris R.Br. ex Hook., Gen. Fil. (Hooker)

Kessler, Michael & Smith, Alan R., 2018, Prodromus of a fern flora for Bolivia. XXXVIII. Tectariaceae, Phytotaxa 334 (3), pp. 248-254 : 249

Hypoderris R.Br. ex Hook., Gen. Fil. (Hooker) t. 1. 1838.

Hypoderris is a neotropical genus of three species, one of which occurs in Bolivia. The other two species are found in the Caribbean, Mesoamerica, and Colombia and Venezuela, and are unlikely to be found in Bolivia. Until recently, this genus was considered to comprise a single species, H. brownii , from the Caribbean Islands and northern Venezuela, but recent molecular studies have shown that two additional species traditionally placed in Tectaria also belong to this genus: H. brauniana (H.Karst.) F.G.Wang & Christenh. and H. nicotianifolia (Baker) R.C.Moran, Labiak & J.Prado ( Moran et al. 2014, Wang et al. 2014). As now understood, Hypoderris is most closely related to Triplophyllum , from which it differs by non-tripartite laminae and spiny perispores. The single species of Hypoderris in Bolivia differs from all neotropical Tectaria spp. in having free veins (the other two extraterritorial species of Hypoderris have anastomosing veins; some paleotropical Tectaria spp. also have free veins (Holttum 1986) and creeping rhizomes with the leaves arranged in two rows (bilateral symmetry). In Tectaria , rhizomes are usually erect or decumbent with ascending apices, and the leaves arise all around the rhizome (radial symmetry). In Hypoderris , petiole bases are typically oriented horizontally for a short distance (3–8 mm) before turning upwards, unlike the ascending petiole bases in Tectaria ( Moran et al. 2014) .