Plagiogyria

Plagiogyria is a genus of ferns belonging to the family Plagiogyriaceae. This small family is part of the division Pteridophyta, which includes lower vascular plants. The genus Plagiogyria contains about 15 species and is found in tropical and warm temperate regions, spanning from North America to South America, and across Asia to New Guinea.1

These ferns superficially resemble some members of the Blechnaceae family but are thought to be more closely related to tree ferns. They are terrestrial plants with short, stout rhizomes from which leaves grow in a cluster. The leaves are pinnately compound and dimorphic, meaning they have two different forms. The fertile leaves are very narrow and almost entirely covered with sporangia (spore-producing structures) on their undersides. The spores are generally globose.1