Kingdom Plantae Scientific name Pteridaceae Rank Family | Division Pteridophyta Higher classification Polypodiales Order Polypodiales | |
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Lower classifications Pteris, Maidenhair fern, Cheilanthes, Cliffbrake, Ceratopteris thalictroides | ||
Ceratopteridaceae is an improper family name for the clade that is now known to include the two genera Ceratopteris and Acrostichum.
Although Ceratopteris was long isolated under its own family, due to adaptations for a dedicated aquatic existence, recent genetic study has determined that these two genera are allied.
The correct name for this taxon at the level of family is Parkeriaceae.
Christenhusz et al., 2011, included these two genera alone in the subfamily Ceratopteridoideae (the correct name at the level of subfamily) in their larger treatment of the Pteridaceae family in the order Polypodiales.
References
Ceratopteridaceae Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA