| General Information |
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| Distribution | A pantropical genus of 21 species, most numerous in Brazil.
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Habit
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Terrestrial or epipetric. Rhizomes short- to long-creeping, with rigid narrow brown scales, bicolorous with dark-sclerotic axis or concolorous.
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Leaves
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Fronds monomorphic or dimorphic, persistent; stipe usually crowded, black and polished, scaly near the base; blade simple and cordate to pedate, or palmate and 1-3-pinnatifid, lacking abscission zone, coriaceous, glabrous; veins free except in the sori, or anastomosing without included veinlets.
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Sori
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Sori marginal or nearly so, continuous along the margin, or sometimes discrete; indusium firm, introrse, continuous or occasionally interrupted by incisions in the margin.
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Spores
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Spores trilete, tetrahedral-globose, usually cristate or plain to slightly rugose, rarely echinate; equatorial flange lacking.
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Chromosomes
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n = 30, 60, 116.
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Notes
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The name is derived from the Greek dory, a spear or halberd, plus pteris, fern, referring to the frond shape of the type species.
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Contributor
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David Lorence, co-author K. R. Wood
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