Culcitaceae

Clades: Cyatheales; Cyatheidae; Equisetanae; Pteridophyta; Plants.
Members: Culcita, Loxsoma, Loxsomopsis, Plagiogyria, Thyrsopteris.
Ragion: Southern Hemisphere, Andes in South America, Canary Islands, Southeast Asia, Australia.
Habitat: tropical and subtropical; high-altitude, cool, moist environment; montane forests, cloud forests; shaded, humid areas; well-drained, nutrient-rich soils; rocky or moss-covered locations.TaxonomyIn the PPG 1 classification Culcitaceae forms a monophyletic group together with Plagiogyriaceae, Loxsomataceae, and Thyrsopteridaceae.
In older classifications they were placed in a broader Cyatheaceae.Plant theoryIn the Plant theory the small families Plagiogyriaceae, Loxsomataceae, and Thyrsopteridaceae are fused with the small family Culcitaceae. They are tentatively placed in Subphase 3.MembersCulcitaceae: Culcita.
Loxsomataceae: Loxsoma, Loxsomopsis.
Plagiogyriaceae: Plagiogyria.
Thyrsopteridaceae: Thyrsopteris.BotanyFern; small to medium-sized; terrestrial or epiphytic; forming compact clumps; spreading or creeping habit.
Roots: fibrous.
Rhizome: short, creeping, or erect rhizomes; covered with dense, golden-brown scales.
Leaves: pinnate to bipinnate; finely dissected, feathery appearance; leathery or papery; medium to dark green; 20 to 50 cm long.
Sori: on the underside of fertile fronds; in clusters along the veins; protected by an indusium, kidney-shaped or absent.
Ecology: stabilizing soil in montane environments; contributes to biodiversity.
Use: ornamental, for its attractive, feathery fronds and compact growth habit.Stages Remedies2 Loxsoma cunninghamii
3 Loxsomopsis pearcei
3 Plagiogyria assurgens
3 Plagiogyria euphlebia
10 Culcita macrocarpa
17 Thyrsopteris elegans