Creeping Maiden Fern

Stems creeping to suberect, 2--3 mm diam. Leaves somewhat dimorphic, evergreen, laxly arching or prostrate, sterile leaves often rooting at attenuate apices or along rachises, mostly (10--)15--55 cm, fertile leaves more erect and with longer petioles, not rooting, with more contracted pinnules. Petiole green, 1--25 cm × 0.5--1 mm, at base sparsely set with brown, lanceolate, stellate-hairy scales. Blade usually 10--30 cm, pinnate in proximal half only or throughout, narrowed distally to pinnatifid apex. Pinnae entire to crenate to shallowly lobed ca. 1/3 of width, 1--2.5(--5) × 0.3--1(--1.5) cm, sometimes subcordate at base; proximal pairs from adjacent segments usually united with excurrent vein or veins free. Indument abaxially of stellate, forked, and needlelike hairs on rachises, costae, veins, and blade tissue; blade tissue adaxially also with stellate hairs. Sori round, medial to supramedial; indusia minute or lacking; sporangia with stellate hairs. 2 n = 144.

Fla.; s Mexico; West Indies; Central America in Guatemala; South America in n Venezuela.

Limestone rocks and grottoes, damp woods; 0--50m.

Polypodium reptans J. F. Gmelin, Syst. Nat. 2: 1309. 1791; Dryopteris reptans (J. F. Gmelin) C. Christensen; Goniopteris reptans (J. F. Gmelin) C. Presl