BiologyBase: Vascular Plant Families

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The Vascular Plant Families

By Robert B. Hole, Jr.
This Checklist is after Walters and Keil (who follow Cronquist 1981). Notes are modified from lecture notes from an Advanced Plant Taxonomy course at Mississippi State University taught by Dr. Sydney McDaniel and other sources. Any errors are solely my responsibility, NOT my instructors.

Click on the Family name to get a list of California Plants in that Family (if any).

class: Psilotopsida
order: Psilotales     order notes:
family: Psilotaceae     family notes: Cryptogams, gametophytes are cylindrical and subteranian and are saprophytes of a mycorhizal fugus. Two genera, 4-8 species. The most primitive of living vascular plants. Genera include Psilotum with 2 sp (P. nudum and P. complanatum).
subfamily:       subfamily notes:
English common name: Whisk Ferns
range:

class: Equisetopsida
order: Equisetales     order notes:
family: Equisetaceae     family notes: One living genus in Class: Equisetum. Living in damp places. Extensive fossil record. Incorporate silica ("glass") into cell walls.
subfamily:       subfamily notes:
English common name: Horsetails, Scouring Rushes
range:       North America

class: Lycopodiopsida
order: Lycopodiales     order notes:
family: Lycopodiaceae     family notes: Five genera, about 450 species. Cosmopolitan.
subfamily:       subfamily notes:
English common name: Club-mosses
range: Asia Africa South America    Eruope Australia Pacific

class: Isoetopsida
order: Selaginellales     order notes:
family: Selaginellaceae     family notes: One gensu (Selaginella), about 700 species. World wide range.
subfamily:       subfamily notes:
English common name: Small Club-mosses
range: Asia Africa South America    Eruope Australia Pacific

class: Isoetopsida
order: Isoetales     order notes:
family: Isoetaceae     family notes: Two genera, about 71 species. Isoetes (quillworts) with 70 species is cosmopolitan. Sytlites, one species in Peruvian Andes. Mostly aquatic cryptogams.
subfamily:       subfamily notes:
English common name: Quillworts
range: Asia Africa South America    Eruope Australia Pacific

class: Polypodiopsida
order: Ophiohlossales     order notes:
family: Ophioglossaceae     family notes: Four genera. Botrychium and Ophiglossum (Snake's tongues) are cosmopolitan. Helminthostachys is Indo-Malaysian, Rhizoglossum is S. African. Eusporangiate ferns.
subfamily:       subfamily notes:
English common name: Grape-ferns
range: Asia Africa South America    Eruope Australia Pacific

class: Polypodiopsida
order: Marattiales     order notes:
family: Marattiaceae     family notes: Seven genera, 100 species, humid tropics and warm regions. Carboniferous fossil record.
subfamily:       subfamily notes:
English common name:
range: Africa South America

class: Polypodiopsida
order: Polypodiales     order notes:
family: Osmundaceae     family notes: Three genera, about 18 species, found throughout most of world.
subfamily:       subfamily notes:
English common name: Cinnamon Ferns
range: Asia Africa South America    Eruope Australia Pacific

class: Polypodiopsida
order: Polypodiales     order notes:
family: Schizaeaceae     family notes: Four genera, 150 species, mostly tropical, extending into temperate America.
subfamily:       subfamily notes:
English common name: Climbing Ferns
range: Asia Africa South America

class: Polypodiopsida
order: Polypodiales     order notes:
family: Gleicheniaceae     family notes: Four genera, about 140 species. Wide tropical distribution. Carboniferous fossil record.
subfamily:       subfamily notes:
English common name:
range: Asia Africa South America       Australia

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