Pteridophyta: Psilotales

Psilotaceae - Whisk ferns

Crouch, N.R., Klopper, R.R., Burrows, J.E. & Burrows, S.M. (2011) Ferns of Southern Africa, A comprehensive guide Struik Nature

Jacobsen, W.B.G. (1983) The Ferns and Fern Allies of Southern Africa. Butterworths, Durban and Pretoria.

Roux, J.P. (2001) Conspectus of Southern African Pteridophyta. Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report 13

Schelpe, E.A.C.L.E. (1970) Pteridophyta Flora Zambesiaca

Description of the family

Epiphytic or lithophytic perennial plants. Rhizome shortly creeping, dichotomously or laterally branched, with endophytic mycorrhiza, without roots, with short and long rhizoids. Aerial stems linear, chlorophyllous, erect or pendulous, dichotomously branched, simple towards the base. Leaves much reduced, simple, scale-like, lacking a midrib, without ligules. Sporangia in globular, thick-walled synangia composed of 2 or 3 fused sporangia, exindusiate, homosporus.

Worldwide: 2 genera and 12 species. Tmesipteris confined to tropical Asia and western Oceania, Psilotum has a pantropical distribution.

Zimbabwe: 1 genus and 1 taxon.

Links to genera: View: living plant images - herbarium specimen images - all images for this family

Genus	Content
Psilotum Sw.	Description, Image

Other sources of information about Psilotaceae:

Our websites:

Flora of Malawi: Psilotaceae
Flora of Mozambique: Psilotaceae
Flora of Zambia: Psilotaceae

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Psilotaceae
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Psilotaceae
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Psilotaceae
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Psilotaceae
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Psilotaceae
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Psilotaceae
JSTOR Plant Science: Psilotaceae
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Psilotaceae
Wikipedia: Psilotaceae
Plants of the World Online: Psilotaceae
Tropicos: Psilotaceae