Pyrrosia Mirb.

Epiphytic, epilithic or terrestrial, in small tufts or extensive clones. Rhizome to 0.7 cm thick, short-to long-creeping appressed to or just immersed in substrate, phyllopods in two rows, contiguous or to 9 cm apart, sparsely to profusely branching from lateral buds. Anatomy: vascular strands 3-12, ground tissue parenchymatous with a distinct sclerenchyma sheath or totally sclerified, sclerenchyma strands absent to many. Rhizome scales appressed to squarrose, basifixed, (pseudo-)peltate, to 14 by 3.3 mm, not clathrate, entire, dentate or ciliate with curly cilia, hyaline to brown, central region often darker. Fronds mono-to dimorphic, nearly sessile to stalk-ed, simple, coriaceous, often succulent with a distinct subepidermal water-tissue. Venation:1 veins mostly distinct, connective veins forming one to several series of rectangular areoles, veinlets simple, forked or more copiously branched and anastomosing, free veinlets excurrent, recurrent or to all directions. Upper surface with or without hydathodes. Indument composed of stellate hairs with straight and on the lower surface sometimes also with curly rays, the straight rays often forming a distinct upper layer, short (0.2 mm) and wide (‘boat-shaped’) to long (1 mm) and acicular. Sori round to elongated or forming a longitudinal coenosorus, superficial to deeply sunken, containing c. 10 to many sporangia. Paraphyses similar to the lamina-indument or differentiated. Sporangia sessile to stalked, 0.2-0.6 mm long, annulus with 9-22 indurated cells. Spores monolete, with a variously sculpted perispore.

Mainly in regions with high rainfall and humidity but also tolerate seasonally dry climates (Du Puy 1993: 549).