Thyrsopteridaceae

plant family

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Last updated

July 22, 2026

Quick Summary

The Thyrsopteridaceae is a family of ferns containing one genus, Thyrsopteris, with a single species, T. elegans. This species is endemic to the Juan Fernández Islands. The family is characterized by erect, trunklike or sprawling stems that are hairy and often produce runners. Their leaves are large and compound, with grooved axes and fertile portions that have reduced laminar tissue. The sori are found within cuplike indusia, and the sporangia have an oblique annulus.1

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Annotated classification
Family Thyrsopteridaceae Stems erect and trunklike or sprawling, hairy and with a mantle of roots, often producing slender runners; leaves large (up to 3.5 metres [11.5 feet]), 3 to 5 times pinnately compound, the axes grooved on the upper surface, the fertile portions with reduced laminar…
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Family Thyrsopteridaceae Stems erect and trunklike or sprawling, hairy and with a mantle of roots, often producing slender runners; leaves large (up to 3.5 metres [11.5 feet]), 3 to 5 times pinnately compound, the axes grooved on the upper surface, the fertile portions with reduced laminar…
Read More