| Pteridophyte | Literature for Pteris cretica
Palmer, 2003. |
| Pteridaceae | Bibliography |
| Pteris cretica | |
Common name(s): `oali, Cretan brake |
| General Information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Distribution | Widely distributed in temperate and tropical parts of the world and is probably native to the Old World.In the Hawaiian Islands, indigenous to Kaua`i, O`ahu, Moloka`i, Lana`i, Maui, Hawai`i. | |
| Habitat | Dry to mesic areas | |
| Elevation | 340-2450 m |
|
| Habit |
Terrestrial, medium-sized; rhizomes short-creeping. |
|
| Leaves |
Fronds 17-90 X 15-30 cm; stipe 1/2 or more frond length, straw-colored, glabrous except for a few light brown scales at base; blade 1-pinnate (basal pinnae forked into 2 subequal branches), ovate or ovate-oblong, light green, chartaceous, glabrous, tips of terminal pinnae similar to and about equal in length to lateral pinnae; rachises unwinged or winged only toward tips; pinnae 3-5 pairs, subopposite to alternate, linear-lanceolate, short-stalked to adnate, entire basal pinnae divided into almost equal branches, more distal pinnae unbranched decurrent on upper 1/4 of rachis or not, margins nearly entire to finely dentate. |
|
| Sori |
Coenosori continuous along most of pinna margins; indusia thin. |
|
| Notes |
Latin creticus, of Crete. |
|
| Contributor |
Sally Eichhorn |