phegopteris

The sori are mostly reniform in shape and have indusia, except for the Phegopteris group.

Genetic analysis has shown the Phegopteris genus to be a sister clade to the rest of the thelypteroid ferns.

Phegopteris connectilis (N)

The same genetic studies show that the traditional genus Phegopteris is, in fact, a clearly segregate group that diverges at the very base of the family tree.

Kaempferol and its glucoside can be isolated from the methanolic extract of fronds of the fern Phegopteris connectilis.

In fact, this particular clade also includes the genera Pseudophegopteris and Macrothelypteris, which are here included in the larger genus Phegopteris.

An intermediate position is to place the bulk in Thelypteris (which can then be divided into subgenera and sections corresponding to the genera of other authors) but to separate out Phegopteris and Macrothelypteris.

However, molecular data shows an affinity between a group of species which are sometimes classified in Macrothelypteris, Phegopteris, and allied genera, so it is common to remove this species from Thelypteris and classify it as Macrothelypteris torresiana.

However, recent genetic evidence clearly shows that the genera Macrothelypteris and Pseudophegopteris, as well as other segregates from the genus Thelypteris, are closely related to Phegopteris in a single clade, and so are now included as Phegopteris species.