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【Dichotomous ID Key】(Jepson Manual)

{Key to Groups}
1. Specimens available for examination without flowers, these either not present on the specimen or not produced at all
2' Bulblets 0
3' Sporangia, sporangium cases, seeds, cones, or cone-like structures present
5. Herbs reproducing by spores released directly from sporangia, the sporangia variously located [on abaxial leaf face, in stalked cluster arising from petiole or blade base, in hardened case at petiole base, in axils of linear or scale-like leaves, or in terminal cone-like structure], seeds and pollen never formed [LYCOPHYTES and FERNS] ..... Group 3

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{Group 3}
1' Plant anchored in soil or growing on another plant [if plant aquatic, rooted in bottom sediments]
3' Leaves with well developed blades, not linear or scale- or needle-like, often lobed or compound; veins many
9' Plant terrestrial or strongly emergent if in wet soil, or growing on another plant; leaf simple or 1–4-pinnate, if compound, leaflets generally >> 4; sporangia borne on aerial portion of leaf
10' Leaf not divided into dissimilar sterile and fertile parts; sporangia borne on underside of leaf blade, sometimes near margin; new leaves generally coiled, unrolling as they develop
11' Leaves all alike or nearly so, the fertile [sporangium-bearing] blades very similar in size and shape to sterile blades.
13. Sori borne along or near margin of leaf; indusia 0 or sori covered by reflexed or recurved leaf margin or leaf margin segment
14. Pinnae all entire or minutely toothed ..... PTERIDACEAE (4)

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{Pteridaceae}
2' Leaf segment margin generally recurved at least partly, often modified, generally covering sporangia at least partly; sporangia at or near vein tips, so appearing marginal
6' Sporangia borne on unmodified segment surface, generally covered at least partly by modified or unmodified, recurved part of segment margin (false indusium); segments lanceolate, round, or other, generally thick-textured
7' Leaf generally < 40 cm, if larger, stipe ± black and wiry
8' Leaf abaxially glabrous or covered with colored exudate, scales 0
9' Leaf without exudate
10' Sterile leaf segments (and fertile) stalked, not connected by blade tissue, not toothed; false indusium 0 or narrow or wide, scarious, not scarious, or ± scarious at margin
11' Sporangia along veins only at tips; rhizome scales often with dark mid-stripe; false indusium present ..... PELLAEA

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{Pellaea}
1' Leaf 2–4-pinnate, pinnae compound.
3. Leaf 2–4-pinnate
4' Segment with mucro generally 2–6(8) mm, 0.5–2(4) mm wide; stipe dark brown to ± black ..... P. mucronata var. mucronata