Angiopteris evecta has been introduced and naturalized in Hawaii, Jamaica, and parts of Central America, where it has become an invasive weed in lower elevation drainages.[3] They feature a large, erect, woody rhizome with a wide base supported by thick roots. The fronds are deltoid, pinnate, 5–8 metres (16–26 ft) long, with spreading leaflets.[4]
Angiopteris is unique among ferns in having explosively dispersed spores, thought to be caused by the cavitation of an airspace between spore layers.[5]
Angiopteris taxonomy is poorly understood, with nearly 200 poorly defined species having been named,[2] only a small handful of which are recognized in modern floras As of October 2022[update][6].
^ abcMurdock, Andrew G. (2008). "A taxonomic revision of the eusporangiate fern family Marattiaceae, with description of a new genus Ptisana". Taxon. 57 (3): 737–755. doi:10.1002/tax.573007.
^Murdock, Andrew G. (2008). "Phylogeny of marattioid ferns (Marattiaceae) inferring a root in the absence of a closely related outgroup". American Journal of Botany. 95 (5): 626–641. doi:10.3732/ajb.2007308. PMID21632388.
^Ellison, Don (1999) Cultivated Plants of the World. London: New Holland (1st ed.: Brisbane: Flora Publications International, 1995)
^Hassler, Michael (2004–2022). "Genus Angiopteris Hoffm". World Ferns. Synonymic Checklist and Distribution of Ferns and Lycophytes of the World. Version 14.1. Retrieved 2022-10-13.
