Nephrolepis

Nephrolepis
	Nephrolepis exaltata
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Division:	Polypodiophyta
Class:	Polypodiopsida
Order:	Polypodiales
Suborder:	Polypodiineae
Family:	Nephrolepidaceae; Pic.Serm.
Genus:	Nephrolepis; Schott
Type species
	Nephrolepis exaltata; (L.) Schott
Species
	See text
Synonyms
	Lepidoneuron Fée; Leptopleuria Presl; Lindsayoides Nakai;

Nephrolepis is a genus of about 30 species of ferns. It is the only genus in the family Nephrolepidaceae, placed in the suborder Aspleniineae (eupolypods I) of the order Polypodiales in the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I).^[1] (It is placed in the Dryopteridaceae in some other classifications.^[2]) The genus is commonly referred to as macho ferns or Boston ferns.^{[citation needed]} The fronds are long and narrow, and once-pinnate, in the case of one Bornean species reaching thirty feet (nine meters) in length.^[3]

Phylogeny

The following cladogram for the suborder Polypodiineae (eupolypods I), based on the consensus cladogram in the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I),^[1] shows a likely phylogenetic relationship between Nephrolepidaceae and the other families of the clade.

External phylogeny^[1]

Internal phylogeny^[4]^[5]

Other species include:

Polypodiineae (eupolypods I)

Didymochlaenaceae

Hypodematiaceae

Dryopteridaceae

	Nephrolepidaceae

	Lomariopsidaceae

Tectariaceae

Oleandraceae

	Davalliaceae

	Polypodiaceae

Nephrolepis

N. rivularis

	N. pectinata

	N. pendula

N. lauterbachii

N. undulata

N. flexuosa

	N. cordifolia

	N. exaltata

	N. biserrata

	N. falciformis

	N. acutifolia

	N. davallioides

N. brownii

	N. hirsutula

	N. obliterata

N. arida Jones 1988
N. ×averyi Nauman
N. cocosensis Rojas 2017
N. ×copelandii Wagner 1999
N. delicatula (Decaisne) Pichi Sermolli
N. dicksonioides Christ 1895
N. duffii Moore
N. equilatera Rojas
†N. favosa Skuratenko 1968
N. grayumiana Rojas
N. ×hippocrepidis Miyam. 2005
N. kurotawae Makino 1895
N. ×medlerae Wagner 1999
N. multiflora (Roxburgh) Jarrett ex Morton
N. obtusiloba A. Rojas
N. occidentalis Kunze
†N. penduliformis Skuratenko 1968
N. pickelii Rosenstock ex Sampaio 1930
N. ×pseudobiserrata Miyam. 2005
†N. sibirica Skuratenko 1968
N. tuberosa (Bory ex Willdenow) Presl

Selected species

Nephrolepis biserrata (Sw.) Schott. (syn. Aspidium bisseratum Sw., Aspidium acutum Schkuhr, Nephrolepis acuta (Schkuhr) C. Presl, Polypodium puctulatum Poir)
Nephrolepis cordifolia (L.) C. Presl (syn. Polypodium cordifolium L., Nephrolepis tuberosa (Bory ex Willd.) C. Presl, Aspidium tuberosum Bory ex Willd.)
Nephrolepis exaltata (L.) Schott (syn. Polypodium exaltatum L.)
Nephrolepis falcata
Nephrolepis multiflora (Roxb.) F.M. Jarret ex C.V. Morton (syn. Davallia multiflora Roxb.)
Nephrolepis obliterata
Nephrolepis pectinata (Willd.) Schott (syn. Aspidium pectinatum Willd.)
Nephrolepis tuberosa

Some species of Nephrolepis are grown as ornamental plants. Nephrolepis exaltata and Nephrolepis obliterata are reported to be good plants for cleaning indoor air.^[6]

Some Nephrolepis species may prove to be a good source of new antimicrobial chemicals.^[7]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c PPG I (2016), "A community-derived classification for extant lycophytes and ferns", Journal of Systematics and Evolution, 54 (6): 563–603, Bibcode:2016JSyEv..54..563., doi:10.1111/jse.12229, S2CID 39980610
^ USDA: Nephrolepis; family Dryopteridaceae. accessed 7 Sept. 2016.
^ Finn, Judith; Parsons, Jerry (Spring 1996). "A Mind-Boggling Variety of Life". Newsletter of the Univ. Of Calif. Botanic Gardens at Berkeley. 21 (2): 2.
^ Nitta, Joel H.; Schuettpelz, Eric; Ramírez-Barahona, Santiago; Iwasaki, Wataru; et al. (2022). "An Open and Continuously Updated Fern Tree of Life". Frontiers in Plant Science. 13: 909768. Bibcode:2022FrPS...1309768N. doi:10.3389/fpls.2022.909768. PMC 9449725. PMID 36092417.
^ "Tree viewer: interactive visualization of FTOL". FTOL v1.7.0 (GenBank release 261). 2024. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
^ Kent D. Kobayashi; Andrew J. Kaufman; John Griffis & James McConnell (2007). "Using Houseplants to Clean Indoor Air" (PDF). Cooperative Extension Service, College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources University of Hawai'i at Manoa: Ornamentals and Flowers. OF-37.
^ Rani D, Khare PB, Dantu PK"In Vitro Antibacterial and Antifungal Properties of Aqueous and Non-Aqueous Frond Extracts of Psilotum nudum, Nephrolepis biserrata and Nephrolepis cordifolia." Indian J Pharm Sci. 2010 Nov;72(6):818-22

External links

[PPGI-1] PPG I (2016), "A community-derived classification for extant lycophytes and ferns", Journal of Systematics and Evolution, 54 (6): 563–603, Bibcode:2016JSyEv..54..563., doi:10.1111/jse.12229, S2CID 39980610

[2] USDA: Nephrolepis; family Dryopteridaceae. accessed 7 Sept. 2016.

[3] Finn, Judith; Parsons, Jerry (Spring 1996). "A Mind-Boggling Variety of Life". Newsletter of the Univ. Of Calif. Botanic Gardens at Berkeley. 21 (2): 2.

[4] Nitta, Joel H.; Schuettpelz, Eric; Ramírez-Barahona, Santiago; Iwasaki, Wataru; et al. (2022). "An Open and Continuously Updated Fern Tree of Life". Frontiers in Plant Science. 13: 909768. Bibcode:2022FrPS...1309768N. doi:10.3389/fpls.2022.909768. PMC 9449725. PMID 36092417.

[5] "Tree viewer: interactive visualization of FTOL". FTOL v1.7.0 (GenBank release 261). 2024. Retrieved 1 May 2025.

[Kobayashi-2007-6] Kent D. Kobayashi; Andrew J. Kaufman; John Griffis & James McConnell (2007). "Using Houseplants to Clean Indoor Air" (PDF). Cooperative Extension Service, College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources University of Hawai'i at Manoa: Ornamentals and Flowers. OF-37.

[7] Rani D, Khare PB, Dantu PK"In Vitro Antibacterial and Antifungal Properties of Aqueous and Non-Aqueous Frond Extracts of Psilotum nudum, Nephrolepis biserrata and Nephrolepis cordifolia." Indian J Pharm Sci. 2010 Nov;72(6):818-22

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[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

Phylogeny

Selected species

References

Further reading

External links