Review

Polypodiaceae – Dryopteridoideae – Phytsematieae by Robert G. Stolze, Leticia Pacheco & Benjamin Ø1lgaard, in G. Harling & L. Andersson, eds., Flora of Ecuador 49. 1994. Available from the Council for Nordic Publications in Botany, Botanical Museum, Gothersgade 130, DK-1353 Copenhagen K., Denmark. ISNB 87-88702-70-7.

This latest pteridophyte fascicle of the Flora of Ecuador extends the useful treatments of the Lycopodiaceae, Dicksoniaceae, Lophosoriaceae, Metaxyaceae, Cyatheaceae, Thelypteridaceae, and Aspleniaceae that were published previously in this series. The present fascicle contains the large genus Diplazium (55 spp.) and the other small genera of Woodsiaceae allied to it. Among the genera of Andean ferns, Asplenium, Diplazium, Elaphoglossum, and Thelypteris are the largest and most difficult taxonomically. Of these genera, Diplazium alone has fronds of most species several times larger than herbarium sheets, and so most specimens available to taxonomists are mere fragments. In addition, pinna morphology is often quite variable along the rachis. This adds greatly to the difficulty of understanding variation within fronds and, consequently, within species; it is easy to name small and large pinnae as different species. As he did previously in Asplenium, Stolze has produced a highly useful treatment, including a workable key, species descriptions, distributions, notes, and specimens cited. Of particular note is the care with which he evaluated the scattered, inconsistently labeled, and usually fragmentary collections made by Father Luis Sodiro in Ecuador, many of which are types or syntypes of Sodiro’s multitudinous species. Most botanists, myself included, have made too many facile assumptions about the status of these specimens. By virtue of his seeing more Sodiro material from more and different herbaria than anyone else, Stolze’s evaluations of these specimens’ status is as accurate as is possible. In any long and complex treatment, one can find a few things to object to. In my opinion, D. striatastrum is a valid species present in Ecuador, not a synonym of D. striatum, and the correct name for D. prominulum Maxon is D. subsilvaticum Christ in Pitt. That said, I have only praise for this treatment and congratulations for its authors. — David B. Lellinger, Dept. of Botany MRC-166, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20560.