Sticherus remotus (Kaulf.) Chrysler (1944: 483)

Lima, Lucas Vieira & Salino, Alexandre, 2018, The fern family Gleicheniaceae (Polypodiopsida) in Brazil, Phytotaxa 358 (3), pp. 199-234 : 228

3.10. Sticherus remotus (Kaulf.) Chrysler (1944: 483) . Figs. 9C , 10E–H , 11B .

Mertensia remota Kaulfuss (1824: 39) . Dicranopteris remota (Kaulf.) Maxon (1922: 50) . Gleichenia remota (Kaulf.) Sprengel (1927: 27) . Type:— BRAZIL. without date, Chamisso s.n. (holotype LZ destroyed; lectotype LE [LE00000264], photo!, chosen by Lellinger 1989: 232).

Gleichenia trachyrhizoma Christ (1906: 280) . Dicranopteris trachyrhizoma (Christ) Maxon, (1909: 57) . Sticherus trachyrhizoma (Christ) Copeland (1947: 28) . Type:— COSTA RICA. Valle del Río Navarro, without date, Wercklé s.n. pro parte (lectotype P [P00625777] photo!, chosen by Lellinger 1989: 232, isolectotype S [S-R2420] photo!, UC [UC1560327] photo!, US [UC1568514] photo!, not P [P00625778] photo! not a type).

Gleichenia aequilateralis Jenman (1909: 353) . Type:— GUIANA: Alto rio Demerara, without date, Jenman 4149. (lectotype designated here, NY [NY00144739] photo!, isolectotypes NY [NY00144739], [NY00144740] photos!).

Dicranopteris williamsii Maxon (1912: 21) . Gleichenia williamsii (Maxon) Christensen (1913: 44) . Type:— PANAMA. Povíncia Darién, próximo Cana, without date, Williams 917 (holotype US [ US 00065678] photo!, isotype NY [NY00144784] photo!).

Plants terrestrial. Rhizomes 3.14–5.21 mm thick, with brown, rigid, narrow-triangular scales, with apex attenuate, base truncate, margins dentate, and small squamophores. Fronds scrambling, 2–3- forked, petiole 2.95–3.30 mm thick, ultimate branches 11.5–40 × 3.8–7.5 cm, linear-lanceolate, apex pinnatifid, base slightly reduced, abaxial surface scaly on the rachis, scales brown, with apical darkening, narrow-triangular, apex attenuate, base truncate, margins dentate, segments linear 3.3–4.9 long × 0.13–0.17 cm, margins revolute, occasionally plane, abaxial surface sparse to moderately scaly, with stellate scales on midrib and arachnoid scales on the secondary veins and laminar tissue. Buds with scales similar to those of the rachis, pseudoestipule present. Veins 1-forked. Sori medial, without paraphyses.

Distribution and habitat: — Brazil (Acre, Amazonas, Roraima), Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guiana, Panama, and Suriname. In Brazil, this species occurs along forests edge in the Amazonian domain between 300 m and 800 m.

Notes: — Sticherus remotus is recognized by its remote segments, rhizomes with small squamophores,pseudostipule trifid or more divided, and stellate scales on the midribs and bases of the branches. Sticherus remotus may be also be confused with an unusual form of S. nigropaleaceus with subremote segments, but is clearly distinguished by the deeper sinus incision of the segments, and by the nigrescent bud scales of S. nigropaleaceus . Some authors (e.g. Østergaard & Ølgaard 2001, Gonzales & Kessler 2011), assigned the type locality of S. remotus to Santa Catarina state, but the original description and the label of the type material do not have any locality indication. From a geographic distribution point of view, it is unlikely that the type locality is in Santa Catarina since this species has an Amazonian distribution.

In the original description of Gleichenia aequilateralis , the author only mentioned the collector and his number, Jenman 4149. We found tree specimens at NY of this collection, and here we chose the most complete as lectotype.

Selected specimens examined: — BRAZIL. Acre: without date, 22 October 2001, Prado 1300 (UFACPZ). Amazonas: Manaus, Cachoeira de Tarumã , 14 November 1957, Pereira 3464 (RB) ; Id., Reserva Florestal Ducke, Manaus / Itacoatiara , Km 26, estação meteorológica, 02°53’S, 59°58’W, 14 May 1996, Costa 518 (K, UEC) ; ManausCaracarai Rd., Km 45, 27 September 1974, Conant et al. 1123 (K). Roraima: Amajari , 04°03’00”N, 64°22’12”W, 800 m, 05 February 1969, Prance 9606 (K, MO) .

Figures

FIGURE 9. Distribution of five taxa of Sticherus in Brazil.A. Sticherus longipinnatus, S. paulistanus. B. S. nigropaleaceus and S. salinoi. C. S. pruinosus and S. remotus. D. S. squamosus.

FIGURE 10. A–E. Sticherus pruinosus (Salino 2421, BHCB). A. Detail of the abaxial surface. B. Rhizome scale. C. Bud scale. D. Rachis scale. E–H. S. remotus (Amorin et al. 1135, BHCB). E. Detail of segments, abaxial surface. F. Rhizome scale. G. Bud scale. H. Rachis scale. I–L. S. salinoi (Fernandes 771, BHCB). I. Detail of the abaxial surface. J. Rachis scale. K. Rhizome scale. L. Bud scale. M–P. S. squamosus (Dittrich 2030, CESJ). M. Detail of the abaxial surface. N. Rhizome scale. O. Bud scale. P. Rachis scale.

FIGURE 11. Habit. A. Sticherus pruinosus. B. S. remotus. C. S. salinoi. D. S. squamosus.