Diplazium cristatum (Desr.) Alston, J. Bot.

Kessler, Michael & Smith, Alan R., 2018, Prodromus of a fern flora for Bolivia. XXXII. Athyriaceae, Phytotaxa 334 (2), pp. 141-151 : 145

Diplazium cristatum (Desr.) Alston, J. Bot. 74: 173. 1936.

Range: —Antilles; Mexico to Argentina and Paraguay. In Bolivia, recorded in BE, CH, CO, LP, SC, and TA.

Ecology: —Very common; terrestrial in humid and semihumid forests, often in ravines and along stream banks, also in disturbed forests, on slopes and rocky banks; 200–1700(– 2400) m. Mainly occurs in fairly dry forests, and is therefore rare in CO, with only one record.

Notes: —This species is part of a taxonomically difficult complex, together with Diplazium bombonasae , D. petiolulatum , and D. stuebelianum , and is characterized by glabrous, medium-sized, 1-pinnate to 1-pinnate-pinnatisect blades with pinnatifid apices, pinnae with inequilateral bases, and rhizome apices with a few, often small, coarse, black scales. Hybrids between D. cristatum and allied species are known from southern Mexico ( Mickel & Smith 2004) and in Cuba (C. Sánchez, pers. comm.), and may be expected with the aforementioned species in Bolivia.