Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Pteridophyta (Filicophyta)
Class: Pteridopsida (Filicopsida)
Subclass: Polypoditae
Order: Athyriales
There is valid question as to whether Cystopteris and Gymnocarpium should be allied. While they are in many ways very similar and are in most respects a natural grouping, they may nonetheless represent remnants of two individual ancestral species in the development of the higher ferns. Their relationship is not clear.
The basal chromosome counts are x=42 for Cystopteris and x=40 for Gymnocarpium.
Genera of the Cystopteridaceae:
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This page was last revised on 11-21-1997.