Notes 359 PTERISVITTATA(PTERIDACEAE),ANEWFERNFORTEXAS PterisvittataL.,commonlyknownasladderbrake,Chinesebrake,orChi- neseladderbrake,isanAsiannativewellknownasanescapefromcultiva- tionincoastalareasofthesoutheasternUnitedStates.Thespecieswasnot includedinSmall's1903or1913treatmentsofthesoutheasternflora.Small later(1938)treatedthespeciesasPycnodoriavittata(L.)Small,indicating thatithadbeencollectedinFloridamanyyearspreviouslyandthatduring the 1930sitwasabundantatseveralFloridalocalities(e.g..Everglades). HealsoindicatedthatitwasestablishedinAlabama,Louisiana,theWest Indies,andSouthAmerica.Currently,Pterisvittataiscommoninsouthern Floridawhereitcanbefoundinalmosteveryhabitatwithexposedlime- stone(e.g.,pinelands)andonavarietyofman-madecalcareoussubstrates (e.g.,sidewalks,buildings,oldmasonry)(Nauman 1993). Radfordetal. (1968)citedaSouthCarolinarecord andnotedthatitwasarareescape. Nauman(1993)mappedthespeciesasoccurringfromsouthernSouthCarolina southtoFloridaandwesttoeasternLouisiana;healsoshowedisolatedoc- currencesinsouthernCaliforniaandtheDistrictofColumbia. PterisvittatawasnotincludedintheTexasflorabyCorrell(1956,1966), CorrellandJohnston(1970),Stanford(1976),Hatchetal.(1990),orJones etal.(1997),norhasitbeenreportedfromOklahoma(Taylor&Taylor1994). ItisnowknownfromTexasbasedonthefollowingcollection: Vouchercollection:Texas.SanSabaCo.:ca.3miNofBend,ontheEdwardsPlateau, growingfromalimestoneboulderwithAdiantunicapillns-venerisL.atedgeofRoughCreek (tributaryoftheColoradoRiver),6Nov1987J.W'!Stanford5iOS(BRIT,HPC,SPLT). Subsequentfloodinghasdestroyedthesite.Theidentificationwascon- firmedbyJimBlassingame(SouthPlainsCollege,Levelland,TX). OfthefivePterisspeciesintheUnitedStates(mostoccurrencesarein thesoutheasternpartofthecountry),fourareintroducedandone,P.bahamensis (J.Agardh)Fee,isnativetosouthFlorida(Nauman1993).BesidesP.vittata, onlyP.multifidaPoir.(spiderbrake,Chinesebrake,Huguenotfern),isknown fromTexas. Thiswidelycultivated nativeofChinaisnaturalized ineast andsoutheastTexasandtheRioGrandeValley(Correll&Johnston1970; Hatchetal. 1990).Thedeeplypalmately3-dividedpinnae(atleastsome) ofP.multifidaarequitedistinctive. Pterisvittatacanberecognizedanddistinguishedasfollows:stemsshort- creeping,stout,denselyscaly;leavesclustered,strictly1-pinnate(thepin- naewithoutlobesordivisions),0.3-1mlongincludingpetiole;pinnae12- 20(-30)pairsperleaf,linear-lanceolatetolinear-attenuate,2-18cmlong, 4—9mmwide,long-attenuateorsharplyacuteapically,asymmetricallycordate towidenedortruncatebasally;serrulatemarginally;distalpinnaeconspicuously SiDA18(1):359.1998 360 SiDAl8(l) longerthanproximalpinnae(leafbladesthusoblanceolateinoutline)with theterminalpinnatypicallylongest;petiolesandoftenrachisesdenselyscaly; soriusuallyofacontinuousnarrowband nearthemarginsoftheabaxial surfaceofthepinnae(thusmostoftheabaxialbladesurfaceexposed)(Long &Lakela 1971;Nauman 1993;Smith&Lemieux 1993).Thespeciesisa tetraploid,with2« =116(Nauman 1993).Anillustrationandadetailed descriptionareavailableinSmall(1938).ArecenttreatmentoiPteris,in- cludingakeytotaxaoccurringintheUnitedStatesandanillustrationof P—.vittata,canbefoundinNauman(1993). -JackW.Stanford.DepartmentofBiology.HowardPayneUniversity,Brownwood, TX76801. [email protected],Jr,Department ofBiology. AustinCollege,Sherman, TX75090. U.S.A. &BotanicalResearch InstituteofTexas,509PecanStreet,Ft.Worth.TX76102,U.S.A.,[email protected]. Rni'HRF.NCES CoRRJiLL,D.S,1956,FernsandfernalliesofTexas,TexasResearchFoundation,Rc-nncr. 1966,Pteridophyta,In:C.L,Lundell,ed.FloraofTexas1:3—121.Texas ResearchFoundation,Renner. andM.C,John.sr)n, 1970,ManualofthevascularplantsofTexas,Texas ResearchFoundation,Renner, Hatch,S,L.,K,N.Gandhi,andL.E,Brown,1990.ChecklistofthevascularplantsofTexas. TexasAgric.Exp,Sta.Misc.Publ, 16^5:1-158, JoNF.s,S,D,,J,K,Wii'i'i^andP,M,Mon'k.omI'UY.1997.VascularplantsofTexas:Acomprehen- sivechecklistincludingsynonymy,bibliography,andindex,Univ.ofTexasPress,Austin, IxjNG,R.W,andO.Lakela.1971,AfloraoftropicalFlorida,Univ,ofMiamiPress,Coral Gables,FL, Naiiman,C,E,1993,P(ens.In:FloraofNorthAmericaEditorialC'ommitree,eds,Fl,North Amer.2:132-135,OxfordUniv,Press,NewYorkandOxford. Radford,A,E,,H.E.Aiii.ns,andC.R.Bi;i.i,,1968,ManualofthevascularfloraoftheCaro- linas.TheUniv.ofNorthCarolinaPress,ChapelHill. Small,J.K. 1903-FloraofthesoutheasternUnitedStates.Pubhshedbytheauthor,New York, 191,3.Floraofthe.southeasternUnitedStates,2nded.Publishedbythe author,NewYork, 1938.FernsofthesoutheasternUnitedStates.TheSciencePressPrinting Co.,Lancaster,PA, Smith,A.R.andT,Lpmif.dx,1993-Pteridaceae. In:J,C,Hickman,ed.Thejep.sonmanual, higherplantsofCalifornia,Pp,439-11I,Univ,ofCaliforniaPress,Berkeley, Stanford,J.W.1976,KeystothevascularplantsoftheTexasEdwardsPlateauandatlja- centareas.Publishedbytheauthor,Brownwood,TX, Taylor,R,J,andC,E,S,Taylcjr,199i.Anannotatedlistoftheferns,fernallies,gymno- spermsandfloweringplantsotOklahoma,3rded.SoutheasternOklahomaStateUni- versity,Durant, SrDA18(1):360,1998