190.500 Dryopteris Adans.

Terrestrial plants. Rhizome erect or creeping; rhizome scales broad, mostly entire, concolorous. Fronds tufted, herbaceous. Stipe not articulated, often with persistent scales. Lamina broadly deltate to lanceolate, pinnate to quadripinnate, basal pinnae often basiscopically enlarged but not as long as the lamina. Lamina scales/hairs, if present, unistratose(1 layer) at the base. Ultimate segments crenate to serrate, rarely aristate-dentate. Veins free, forked. Sori round, superficial, dorsal, on veins end; indusia kidney-shaped to cordate, rarely exindusiate.

Derivation of name: drys: oak, pteris: fern; referring to the preferred habitat in oak forests of certain European species.

Comment: Nothorperanema is sometimes included in Dryopteris, we consider them to be 2 separated genera.

Worldwide: c. 255 species, near cosmopolitan distribution.

Zambia: 5 taxa.