Pteridophyta: Ophioglossales

Ophioglossaceae - Adder's-tongue family

Crouch, N.R., Klopper, R.R., Burrows, J.E. & Burrows, S.M. (2011) Ferns of Southern Africa, A comprehensive guide Struik Nature

Jacobsen, W.B.G. (1983) The Ferns and Fern Allies of Southern Africa. Butterworths, Durban and Pretoria.

Roux, J.P. (2001) Conspectus of Southern African Pteridophyta. Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report 13

Schelpe, E.A.C.L.E. (1970) Pteridophyta Flora Zambesiaca

Description of the family

Terrestrial ferns, deciduous perennials, often clone forming by root proliferation. Rhizome spherical, subspherical or elongated, erect or creeping, subterranean; roots fleshy without roothairs. Fronds 1 or few, consisting of a simple, hairless sterile, slightly fleshy lamina and a simple or compound, fertile, linear, stalked spike. Sporangia sunken in the tissue on either side of the linear spike, large, thick-walled, dehiscing by a slit into 2 valves, exindusiate, homosporous.

Worldwide: 4 genera and 80 species, cosmopolitan.

Malawi: 1 genus and 10 taxa.

Links to genera: View: living plant images - herbarium specimen images - all images for this family

Genus	Content
Ophioglossum L.	Description, Image

Other sources of information about Ophioglossaceae:

Our websites:

Flora of Botswana: Ophioglossaceae
Flora of Burundi: Ophioglossaceae
Flora of the DRC: Ophioglossaceae
Flora of Mozambique: Ophioglossaceae
Flora of Rwanda: Ophioglossaceae
Flora of Zambia: Ophioglossaceae
Flora of Zimbabwe: Ophioglossaceae

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Ophioglossaceae
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Ophioglossaceae
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Ophioglossaceae
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Ophioglossaceae
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Ophioglossaceae
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Ophioglossaceae
JSTOR Plant Science: Ophioglossaceae
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Ophioglossaceae
Wikipedia: Ophioglossaceae
Plants of the World Online: Ophioglossaceae
Tropicos: Ophioglossaceae