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A Biosystematic Study Of The Fern Genus Lygodium In Eastern North America, Violet M. Brown

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

The mainly tropical genus Lygodium differs from other ferns in that the fronds are indeterminate and are vine-like. A single species, L. palmatum is native in temperate North America. The temperate Asian L. japonicum is naturalized throughout much of the southeastern United States. About twenty years ago, L. microphyllum was introduced into South Florida and is now naturalized in several counties. The present study documents differences among spores and their generation, development of sporophytes from the fertilized egg, and in flavonoid chemistry. Hybridization experiments showed a strong possibility for cross fertility between species. Experiments with prothallial development and differentiation revealed …