Polypodiaceae
Petiole usually jointed at base, blade simple to pinnate, indusia absent, spores usually transparent or yellowish. Here 3 genera.

Pleopeltis Humboldt & Bonpland ex Willdenow

Scaly polypods, Shielded-sorus ferns

Etymology pleos, many, and pelte, shield, in reference to the peltate scales covering immature sori
Description Rhizome: creeping, branching, scales concolored to bicolored, lanceolate to ovate-acuminate, not clathrate to strongly clathrate.
Frond: evergreen, monomorphic.
Stipe: jointed at base, green to dark brown or black, flattened to terete, often grooved below and winged above, scaly or not, vascular bundles: 3.
Blade: pinnatifid, broadly ovate to deltate, leathery.
segments linear to oblong, margins entire to serrate, veins free or netted.
Sori: circular to oval, discrete, borne at tips of single veins, in 1-3 rows on either side of midrib, often confined to distal region of leaf, indusium: absent, sporangia: transparent or yellowish.
Distinctive Characteristics pinnatifid, leathery blade, long-creeping rhizome, fronds jointed to the rhizome, and young sori covered by peltate scales. Epiphytic, sometimes on rocks, rarely terrestrial, mostly tropical.
Pleopeltis
Peltate (attached in the center) scales in the detail blow-up are the key character of the genus; these scales have a dark central color at the point of attachment.  from Flora of North America

Polypodium Linnaeus

Polypody

Etymology Polypodium is from the Greek: polys, many, + podion, foot. The branching rhizome and its roots appear many-footed. Others think it refers to the many stipe bases on the upper side of the stem.
Description Rhizome: creeping, branching, scales concolored to bicolored, lanceolate to ovate-acuminate, not clathrate to strongly clathrate.
Frond: evergreen, monomorphic.
Stipe: jointed at base, straw-colored, scaly or not, vascular bundles: 3.
Blade: pinnatifid, broadly ovate to deltate, leathery.
segments linear to oblong, margins entire to serrate, veins free or netted.
Sori: circular to oval, discrete, borne at tips of single veins, in 1-3 rows on either side of midrib, often confined to distal region of leaf, indusium: absent, sporangia: transparent or yellowish.
Distinctive Characteristics pinnatifid, leathery blade, long-creeping rhizome, fronds jointed to the rhizome, and the naked sori.
Compare species in the Eastern Asia Group
Compare species in the Eastern North America Group
Compare species in the Western North America Group
Compare species in the European Group
P. vulgare
Polypodium vulgare. The degree of division, the desiccated frond, the naked sori, the scaly rhizome, the knobby jointed base of the frond, are all characteristic of the genus.  From Bilder ur Nordens Flora (1901-1905), processing © by Dr. Gerhard Keuck.

Pyrrosia Mirbel

Felt fern

Etymology From the Greek pyrros, flame-coloured, in reference to the reddish lamina scales of some species
Description Rhizome: creeping, with phylopodia, scaly.
Frond: evergreen, monomorphic or nearly so.
vascular bundles: .
Blade: simple or pedate, ovate often, leathery or papery, stellate scales.
veins netted.
Sori: round or oblong, ends of veins, indusium: absent, sporangia: yellow to brown at maturity.
Distinctive Characteristics epiphytic or epipetric, stellate hairs on the lamina

Pyrrosia. sori of P. lingua  From the site of Y. Hada.

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