Gleicheniaceae from the Quindío Department, Colombia

Abstract

Abstract Colombia is a tropical country with a rich fern flora. The Quindío Department is in an area which is undergoing significant environmental changes due to anthropogenic activities, such as coffee cultivation. Gleicheniaceae, a family of pioneer ferns, is known for preferentially occupying open, sunny, and disturbed habitats, such as roadsides. Our study aimed to conduct a taxonomic treatment of the Gleicheniaceae species in the Quindío Department in Colombia. Our results revealed the presence of 10 species distributed in four genera, with the Sticherus genus accounting for most of the species (seven in total). Notably, a new record of Sticherus (S. brevitomentosus) was found for Colombia, indicating the potential for the discovery of additional species in future studies. Furthermore, our results demonstrated that 42% of the 24 species reported in the Andean region were present in the Quindío Department, and Calarcá and Salento were the municipalities with the highest diversity. We have provided taxonomic descriptions for the genera and species, as well as an identification key, maps, images, and comments on the taxonomy and distribution of the species.