Sticherus tomentosus (Cav. ex Sw.) Smith (1990: 255)

Gonzales, Jasivia & Kessler, Michael, 2011, A synopsis of the Neotropical species of Sticherus (Gleicheniaceae), with descriptions of nine new species, Phytotaxa 31, pp. 1-54 : 48

Sticherus tomentosus (Cav. ex Sw.) Smith (1990: 255) .

Mertensia tomentosa Cav. ex Swartz (1804: 177) . Gleichenia tomentosa (Cav. ex Sw.) Sprengel (1827: 27) .

Type:— PERU. Collector unknown (holotype S, herb. Cavanilles, US photo).

Distribution and ecology:— The Guayana Highlands in southeastern Venezuela (to be expected in adjacent Guyana) and the Andes in northwestern Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. Is is locally common along humid forest edges, along roads, on landslides, and along streams at 1700–3000 m.

Notes:— Morphologically, this species is at the center of a complex of seven closely related species which include: S. blepharolepis , S. buchtienii , S. jacha , S. lanosus , S. tomentosus , and S. velatus . Traditionally all seven taxa have been considered to belong to a single, variable species ( Tryon & Stolze 1989, Østergaard & Øllgaard 2001). In their study of the genus in Ecuador, Østergaard & Øllgaard (2001) recognized S. blepharolepis as a distinct species. A closer examination of the morphological variability of the complex over its entire geographical distribution has convinced us that there are seven distinct entities, which are treated here at the species level.