Schizaeaceae is a family of ferns in the order Schizaeales. In the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I), it includes only two genera.[1] Alternatively, two families kept separate in PPG I, Lygodiaceae and Anemiaceae, may be included in Schizaeaceae (as the subfamilies Lygodioideae and Anemioideae)[2] so that the family has four genera.[3][4] In this approach, the Schizaeaceae of PPG I is treated as the subfamily Schizaeoideae.[2]
Species are mainly distributed in the tropics, but several are found in temperate regions in North America, South Africa, Australasia and Northeast Asia.[5][6] The sporangia are borne on specialised pinnae, distinct from ordinary vegetative pinnae. The pinnae form small comb-like, pinnate structures on which the sporangia are formed.[citation needed]
Two further genera are included in the broader circumscription:[3]
Anemia Sm. – otherwise placed in the monotypic family Anemiaceae
Lygodium Sw. – otherwise placed in the monotypic family Lygodiaceae
References
^ abcPPG I (2016). "A community-derived classification for extant lycophytes and ferns". Journal of Systematics and Evolution. 54 (6): 563–603. doi:10.1111/jse.12229. S2CID39980610.
