Wood Ferns (Family Dryopteridaceae)

Dryopteridaceae, is a family of ferns in order Polypodiales. They are

known colloquially as the Wood Ferns. They comprise about 1700 spe-

cies. The largest genera are Elaphoglossum (600), Polystichum (260),

Dryopteris (225), and Ctenitis (150). These four genera contain about

70% of the species.

Woodferns have a cosmopolitan distribution. They may be terrestrial,

epipetric, hemiepiphytic, or epiphytic.

Many are cultivated as ornamental plants.

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