Vandenboschia boschiana

rdf:langString Vandenboschia boschiana

rdf:langString Appalachian bristle fern

rdf:langString Ebihara & K.Iwats.

rdf:langString Q17042905

rdf:langString Q17262693

rdf:langString Vandenboschia

rdf:langString boschiana

rdf:langString G4

rdf:langString TNC

rdf:langString *Trichomanes boschianum (J.W.Sturm)

rdf:langString Vandenboschia boschiana, synonym Trichomanes boschianum, the Appalachian bristle fern or Appalachian filmy fern, is a small delicate perennial leptosporangiate fern which forms colonies with long, black creeping rhizomes. The evergreen fronds are , deeply and irregularly dissected, about 4 to 20 cm long, 1 to 4 cm across with winged stipes 1 to 7 cm long and light green in colour. The common name derives from the leaves which are very thin, only a single cell thick, missing an epidermis and translucent, giving the appearance of a wet film. Sori, the spore-producing organs are formed along the margins of the frond segments. The indusium forms a funnel around the sorus which is sunken in the leaf tissue. A bristle-like receptacle protrudes from the indusium as in all Trichomanes species. Spore production occurs between July and September. In common with all ferns, V. boschiana exhibits a gametophyte stage in its life cycle (alternation of generations) and develops a haploid reproductive prothallus as an independent plant. In contrast to the typical heart-shaped fern prothallus, V. boschiana gametophytes are filamentous and resemble colonies of green algae or moss protonemata.