DAVALLIACEAE

Davalliaceae is a family of ferns in the order Polypodiales. It is sister to the largest family of
ferns, Polypodiaceae, and shares somemorphological characters with it.
Davalliaceae is native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Pacific, Australia, Asia,
and Africa. They are small to medium in size. In the wild, they are usually epiphytic,
sometimes epipetric or terrestrial.
Many species of Davallia are in cultivation, with Davallia tyermanii, Davallia fejeensis,
and Davallia solida being perhaps the most well-known. A key to the cultivated species
of Davallia is available. Davallodes, Humata, and Wibelia have species in cultivation as well.
In Davalliaceae, many of the species are closely related and hard to distinguish from each other.
In 1990, a treatment of Davalliaceae estimated the number of species at 110. A 2008 paper listed
all of the species, recognizing only 63. A new species, Davallia napoensiswas described in 2011.
1. DAVALLIA
The plants have furry rhizomes which cover the surface of the potting mixture as well as
root down into it. The fronds are triangular in shape and about 1 feet long by 1 foot
wide. They divide into three to four pinnae which subdivide into many
pinnules. Davallia are often used in hanging baskets because the rhizomes split into
sections and the surface is covered quickly. Unlike other ferns, Davalliatolerate low levels
of humidity