THE MORPHOLOGY AND CYTOLOGY OF A NEW POLYSTICHUM (PTERIDOPHYTA, DRYOPTERIDACEAE) HYBRID FROM SOUTH-AFRICA

A new Polystichum (Pteridophyta: Dryopleridaceae) hybrid, P. x saltum is described. Several micromorphological characters are anomalous in t heir being a summation of the character states of the progenitors rath er than being intermediate or closer to one of tile parent species. Th e putative parents of this sterile hybrid are P. transucalense and P. wilsonii, both sexual tetraploids (2n=164). Polystichum x saltum also has a somatic chromosome number of 2n=164, but meiosis yields univalen ts and bivalents. (C) 1997 The Linnean Society of London.