Blechnaceae
Synonyms: Blechnoideae.
Clades: Aspleniales; Aspleniineae; Pteridophyta; Plants.
Region: cosmopolitan.
Botany
Identification: young opening fronds are usually tinged with red.
Ferns; ground dwelling, some climbers.
Taxonomy
Blechnaceae was created by Newman in 1844 and has included a variable amount of genera. The Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 included 24 genera in Blechnaceae. Some genera were placed in the separate family Onocleaceae. The family is divided into three subfamilies. Alternatively, Blechnaceae may be treated as the subfamily Blechnoideae of a very broadly defined family Aspleniaceae as Christenhusz and Chase propose.