Davalliaceae
- Related Topics:
- Davallia
- Polypodiales
Davalliaceae, the rabbit’s foot fern family (order Polypodiales), containing a single genus (Davallia) of 65 species. The family is mostly restricted to tropical regions, especially in the Old World. A few species are cultivated as ornamentals in greenhouses, conservatories, and homes, often in hanging baskets that eventually become covered with a network of hairy rhizomes.
Most of the species are epiphytes with long-creeping noticeably and densely scaly rhizomes. Leaf morphology is variable, ranging from one to several times pinnately compound. The sori (clusters of spore-producing structures) vary from circular to hemispherical to kidney-shaped and in most genera are positioned along the margins of the leaflets or leaf divisions. They are covered with a membranous protective flap of tissue (indusium). The spores are bean-shaped (bilateral).