Region: Asia, Pacific.
Habitat: tropical.
GeneraDipteridaceae: 2 genera, Cheiropleuria, Dipteris.
Gleicheniaceae: 6 genera, Dicranopteris, Diplopterygium, Gleichenella, Gleichenia, Sticherus, Stromatopteris.
Matoniaceae: 2 genera, Matonia, Phanerosorus.
BotanyIdentification: root steles having 3 to 5 protoxylem poles; antheridia with 6 to 12 narrow, twisted or curved cells in their walls.
Leaves: typical fern fronds to resembling leaves of palm trees, to undivided leaves.
TaxonomySmith in 2006 placed
Gleicheniales in the class
Polypodiopsida, with 3 families,
Dipteridaceae,
Gleicheniaceae, and
Matoniaceae. Christenhusz in 2011 placed
Gleicheniales in the subclass
Polypodiidae, with the same families. PPG I in 2016 used the same placement.
In historical treatments, the order has sometimes been treated as a subclass Gleicheniatae of the Pteridopsida, with the taxa treated as families here upranked to orders, so that a distinct subclass can be established for the leptosporangiate ferns.
In other treatments, they were expanded to include the filmy ferns (order
Hymenophyllales), as well as the similar-looking genus Hymenophyllopsis (as order Hymenophyllopsidales). The resultant group was treated as class Gleichenopsida alongside the Pteridopsida, which would then be limited to the leptosporangiate ferns. However, this class is not monophyletic but rather a basal grade, retaining ancient traits among the living ferns. Irrespective of their modern taxonomic treatment, the
Gleicheniales were formerly included in the order
Polypodiales. But the ferns in the loose sense are much too diverse a group to be shoehorned into one taxon at such a low rank.
The formerly independent families Dicranopteridaceae and Stromatopteridaceae are generally included in the
Gleicheniaceae, whereas the
Dipteridaceae and
Matoniaceae, although closely related, are considered separate families by most authors.
LiteraturePryer, K. M. & Schuettpelz, E. & others;
Phylogeny and evolution of ferns (monilophytes) with a focus on the early leptosporangiate divergences.; American Journal
Botany, 91, 1582–1598; 2004.
Schuettpelz, E. & Korall, P. & Pryer, K. M.; Plastid atpA data provide improved support for deep relationships among ferns; Taxon 55; 2006
Schneider, H.; Vergleichende Wurzelanatomie der Farne, Ph.D. dissertation; Universitat Zürich, Shaker, Aachen; 1996.