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Pecluma ptilota var. bourgeauana
Comb Polypody
Swamp Plume Polypody
Palmleaf Rockcap Fern
Synonym(s): Polypodium ptiloton var. caespitosum
Florida native
Endangered Florida species
A frequent fern of floodplain forests, moist hammocks and swamps in much of the Florida peninsula. Also found in Puerto Rico.
Comb polypody are most often terrestrial, sometimes epiphytic on tree bases or occasionally epipetric on rocks.
Fronds are 8dm (31-1/2 in.) long or longer and clustered along the thick black-scaly stem. The dark reddish-brown petiole is 3-15cm (1-1/8 to 6 in.) long. The blade is 2.7-9dm (10-5/8 to 35-1/2 in.) long and 5-18cm (2 to 7 in.) wide, narrowly ovate and conspicuously tapering towards both the base and apex. The brown rachis has sparse filiform scales. The deeply divided, blunt linear segments are 4-8mm (5/32 to 5/16 in.) wide and have at least twice-forked veins. The sori are oval and positioned between the midrib and the margins of the segments.
Pecluma ptilota is a member of the Polypodiaceae - Polypody family.
Other species of the Pecluma genus in the Wild Florida Photo database:
Pecluma plumula - PLUME POLYPODY
Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants (Institute for Systemic Botany) profile for this species
USDA Plant Profile for this species
Date record last modified: Oct 17, 2022
