Pteris is a genus of about 280 species of fern

Fern

A fern is any one of a group of about 12,000 species of plants belonging to the botanical group known as Pteridophyta. Unlike mosses, they have xylem and phloem . They have stems, leaves, and roots like other vascular plants...

s, native to tropical and subtropical regions of the world.

Many of them have linear frond segments, and some have sub-palmate division. Like other members of the Pteridales

Pteridales

The Pteridales are ferns that have their sori in linear strips under the edge of the leaf tissue, usually with the edge of the lamina reflexed over.This order is considered a family under the Smith classification...

, the frond margin is reflexed over the marginal sori.

The term "brake", used for members of this genus, is a Middle English

Middle English

Middle English is the stage in the history of the English language during the High and Late Middle Ages, or roughly during the four centuries between the late 11th and the late 15th century....

 word for "fern" from southern England. Its derivation is unclear, and is generally thought to be related to "bracken

Bracken

Bracken are several species of large, coarse ferns of the genus Pteridium. Ferns are vascular plants that have alternating generations, large plants that produce spores and small plants that produce sex cells . Brackens are in the family Dennstaedtiaceae, which are noted for their large, highly...

", whereby the latter word has been assumed to be a plural, as with "children", and the former word a back-formation. However it may have a separate derivation.

Selected species

• Pteris aberrans Alderw.
• Pteris abyssinica Hieron.
• Pteris actiniopteroides Christ
• Pteris adscensionis
  Pteris adscensionis
  Pteris adscensionis is a fern species in the Pteridaceae family. It is endemic to Ascension Island, and there are thought to be fewer than 500 individuals left in the wild. Its natural habitat has been severely reduced to the large number of species introduced to the island when it was first...
  
  Sw.
• Pteris albersii Hieron.
• Pteris albertiae Arbelaez
• Pteris altissima Poir.
• Pteris amoena Bl.
• Pteris angustata (Fée
  Antoine Laurent Apollinaire Fée
  Antoine Laurent Apollinaire Fée was a French botanist who was born in Ardentes, 7 November 1789, and died in Paris on 21 May 1874. He was the author of works on botany and mycology, practical and historical pharmacology, Darwinism, and his experiences in several regions of Europe.-Biography:Fée...
  
  ) C. Morton
• Pteris angustipinna Tagawa
• Pteris angustipinnula Ching & S.H.Wu
• Pteris appendiculifera Alderw.
• Pteris arborea L.
• Pteris argyraea Moore
• Pteris aspericaulis Wall. ex Hieron.
• Pteris asperula J. Sm. ex Hieron.
• Pteris atrovirens Willd.
• Pteris auquieri Pichi-Serm.
• Pteris austrosinica (Ching) Ching
• Pteris bahamensis (Agardh) Fée
• Pteris bakeri C. Chr.
• Pteris baksaensis Ching
• Pteris balansae Fourn.
• Pteris bambusoides Gepp
• Pteris barbigera Ching
• Pteris barombiensis Hieron.
• Pteris bavazzanoi Pichi-Serm.
• Pteris beecheyana Ag.
• Pteris bella Tagawa
• Pteris berteroana Ag.
• Pteris biaurita L.
• Pteris biformis Splitg.
• Pteris blanchetiana Presl ex Ettingsh.
• Pteris blumeana Agardh
• Pteris boninensis H. Ohba
• Pteris brassii C. Chr.
• Pteris brevis Copel.
• Pteris brooksiana Alderw.
• Pteris buchananii Bak. ap. Sim.
• Pteris buchtienii Rosenst.
• Pteris burtonii Bak.
• Pteris cadieri Christ
• Pteris caesia Copel.
• Pteris caiyangheensis L.L. Deng
• Pteris calcarea Kurata
• Pteris calocarpa (Copel.) M. Price
• Pteris catoptera Kze.
• Pteris chiapensis A. R. Sm.
• Pteris chilensis Desv.
• Pteris christensenii Kjellberg
• Pteris chrysodioides (Fée) Hook.
• Pteris ciliaris Eat.
• Pteris clemensiae Copel.
• Pteris comans Forst.
• Pteris commutata Kuhn
• Pteris concinna Hew.
• Pteris confertinervia Ching
• Pteris confusa T. G. Walker
• Pteris congesta Prado
• Pteris consanguinea Mett. ex Kuhn
• Pteris coriacea Desv.
• Pteris crassiuscula Ching & Wang
• Pteris cretica L.
• Pteris croesus Bory
• Pteris cryptogrammoides Ching
• Pteris cumingii Hieron.
• Pteris dactylina Hook.
• Pteris daguensis (Hieron.) Lellinger
• Pteris dalhousiae Hook.
• Pteris dataensis Copel.
• Pteris dayakorum Bonap.
• Pteris decrescens Christ
• Pteris decurrens Presl
• Pteris deflexa Link
• Pteris deltea Ag.
• Pteris deltodon Bak.
• Pteris deltoidea Copel.
• Pteris dentata Forsskal
• Pteris denticulata Sw.
• Pteris dispar Kze.
• Pteris dissimilis (Fee) Chr.
• Pteris dissitifolia Bak.
• Pteris distans J. Sm.
• Pteris droogmaniana L. Linden
• Pteris edanyoi Copel.
• Pteris ekmanii C. Chr.
• Pteris elmeri Christ ex Copel.
• Pteris elongatiloba Bonap.
• Pteris endoneura M. Price
• Pteris ensiformis
  Pteris ensiformis
  Pteris ensiformis, the silver lace fern, sword brake fern, or slender brake fern, is a plant species in the genus Pteris found in tropical Africa, tropical Asia and the Pacific.-Beverages:...
  
  Burm.
• Pteris esquirolii Christ
• Pteris excelsa Gaud.
• Pteris famatinensis Sota
• Pteris fauriei Hieron.
• Pteris finotii Christ
• Pteris flava Goldm.
• Pteris formosana Bak.
• Pteris fraseri Mett. ex Kuhn
• Pteris friesii Hieron.
• Pteris gallinopes Ching
• Pteris geminata Wall.
• Pteris gigantea Willd.
• Pteris glaucovirens Goldm.
• Pteris goeldii Christ
• Pteris gongalensis T. G. Walker
• Pteris grandifolia L.
• Pteris grevilleana Wall. ex Agardh
• Pteris griffithii Hook.
• Pteris griseoviridis C. Chr.
• Pteris guangdongensis Ching
• Pteris guizhouensis Ching
• Pteris haenkeana Presl
• Pteris hamulosa Christ
• Pteris hartiana Jenm.
• Pteris heteroclita Desv.
• Pteris heteromorpha Fée
• Pteris heterophlebia Kze.
• Pteris hillebrandii Copel.
• Pteris hirsutissima Ching
• Pteris hirtula (C. Chr.) C. Morton
• Pteris hispaniolica Maxon
• Pteris holttumii C. Chr.
• Pteris hondurensis Jenm.
• Pteris hookeriana Ag.
• Pteris hossei Hieron.
• Pteris hostmanniana Ettingsh.
• Pteris hui Ching
• Pteris humbertii C. Chr.
• Pteris hunanensis C.M.Zhang
• Pteris inaequalis (Fée) Jenm.
• Pteris incompleta Cav.
• Pteris inermis (Rosenstock) Sota
• Pteris insignis Mett. ex Kuhn
• Pteris intricata Wright
• Pteris intromissa Christ
• Pteris irregularis Kaulf.
• Pteris iuzonensis Hieron.
• Pteris izuensis Ching
• Pteris johannis-winkleri C. Chr.
• Pteris junghuhnii (Reinw.) Bak.
• Pteris kawabatae Kurata
• Pteris keysseri Rosenst.
• Pteris khasiana (Clarke) Hieron.
• Pteris kidoi Kurata
• Pteris kinabaluensis C. Chr.
• Pteris kingiana Endl.
• Pteris kiuschiuensis Hieron.
• Pteris laevis Mett.
• Pteris lanceifolia Ag.
• Pteris lastii C. Chr.
• Pteris laurea Desv.
• Pteris laurisilvicola Kurata
• Pteris lechleri Mett.
• Pteris lepidopoda M.Kato & K.U.Kramer
• Pteris leptophylla Sw.
• Pteris liboensis P.S.Wang
• Pteris ligulata Gaud.
• Pteris limae Brade
• Pteris linearis Poir.
• Pteris litoralis Rechinger
• Pteris livida Mett.
• Pteris loheri Copel.
• Pteris longifolia L.
• Pteris longipes D. Don
• Pteris longipetiolulata Lellinger
• Pteris longipinna Hayata
• Pteris longipinnula Wall.
• Pteris luederwaldtii Rosenst.
• Pteris luschnathiana (Kl.) Bak.
• Pteris luzonensis Hieron.
• Pteris lydgatei
  Pteris lydgatei
  Pteris lydgatei is a rare species of fern known by the common name Lydgate's brake. It is endemic to Hawaii, where it is known from the islands of Oahu, Molokai, and Maui. It was once thought to be extinct until it was rediscovered in the 1990s. There are fewer than 40 individuals in the wild. This...
  
  (Bak.) Christ
• Pteris macgregorii Copel.
• Pteris macilenta A. Rich.
• Pteris maclurei Ching
• Pteris maclurioides Ching
• Pteris macracantha Copel.
• Pteris macrodon Bak.
• Pteris macrophylla Copel.
• Pteris macroptera Link
• Pteris madagascarica Ag.
• Pteris majestica Ching
• Pteris malipoensis Ching
• Pteris manniana Mett. ex Kuhn
• Pteris melanocaulon Fée
• Pteris melanorhachis Copel.
• Pteris menglaensis Ching
• Pteris mertensioides Willd.
• Pteris mettenii Kuhn
• Pteris micracantha Copel.
• Pteris microdictyon (Fée) Hook.
• Pteris microlepis Pichi-Serm.
• Pteris microptera Mett. ex Kuhn
• Pteris mildbraedii Hieron.
• Pteris moluccana Bl.
• Pteris monghaiensis Ching
• Pteris montis-wilhelminae Alston
• Pteris morii Masam.
• Pteris mucronulata Copel.
• Pteris multiaurita Ag.
• Pteris multifida Poir.
• Pteris muricata Hook.
• Pteris muricatopedata Arbelaez
• Pteris muricella Fée
• Pteris mutilata L.
• Pteris natiensis Tagawa
• Pteris navarrensis H. Christ
• Pteris nipponica Shieh
• Pteris novae-caledoniae Hook.
• Pteris obtusiloba Ching & S.H.Wu
• Pteris occidentalisinica Ching
• Pteris olivacea Ching in Ching & S. H. Wu
• Pteris opaca J. Sm.
• Pteris oppositipinnata Fée
• Pteris orientalis Alderw.
• Pteris orizabae M. Martens & Galeotti
• Pteris oshimensis Hieron.
• Pteris otaria Bedd.
• Pteris pachysora (Copel.) M. Price
• Pteris pacifica Hieron.
• Pteris paleacea Roxb.
• Pteris papuana Ces.
• Pteris parhamii Brownlie
• Pteris paucinervata Fée
• Pteris paucipinnata Alston
• Pteris paulistana Rosenst.
• Pteris pearcei Bak.
• Pteris pedicellata Copel.
• Pteris pediformis M.Kato & K.U.Kramer
• Pteris pellucida Presl
• Pteris perrieriana C. Chr.
• Pteris perrottetii Hieron.
• Pteris philippinensis Fée
• Pteris phuluangensis Tag. & Iwatsuki
• Pteris pilosiuscula Desv.
• Pteris plumbea Christ
• Pteris pluricaudata Copel.
• Pteris podophylla Sw.
• Pteris polita Link
• Pteris polyphylla (Presl) Ettingsh.
• Pteris porphyrophlebia C. Chr. & Ching
• Pteris praetermissa T. G. Walker
• Pteris preussii Hieron.
• Pteris prolifera Hieron.
• Pteris propinqua J. Agardh
• Pteris pseudolonchitis Bory ex Willd.
• Pteris pseudopellucida Ching
• Pteris pteridioides (Hook.) Ballard
• Pteris puberula Ching
• Pteris pulchra Schlecht. & Cham.
• Pteris pungens Willd.
• Pteris purdoniana Maxon
• Pteris purpureorachis Copel.
• Pteris quadriaurita Retz.
• Pteris quinquefoliata (Copel.) Ching
• Pteris quinquepartita Copel.
• Pteris radicans Christ
• Pteris ramosii Copel.
• Pteris rangiferina Presl ex Miq.
• Pteris reducta Bak.
• Pteris remotifolia Bak.
• Pteris reptans T.G. Walker
• Pteris rigidula Copel.
• Pteris rosenstockii C. Chr.
• Pteris roseo-lilacina Hieron.
• Pteris ryukyuensis Tagawa
• Pteris satsumana Kurata
• Pteris saxatilis Carse
• Pteris scabra Bory ex Willd.
• Pteris scabripes Wall.
• Pteris schlechteri Brause
• Pteris schwackeana Christ
• Pteris semiadnata Phil.
• Pteris semipinnata
  Pteris semipinnata
  Pteris semipinnata is a native species of fern in Hong Kong....
  
  L.
• Pteris sericea (Fée) Christ
• Pteris setigera (Hook. ex Beddome) Nair
• Pteris setuloso-costulata Hayata
• Pteris shimenensis C.M.Zhang
• Pteris shimianensis H.S.Kung
• Pteris silvatica Alderw.
• Pteris similis Kuhn
• Pteris simplex Holtt.
• Pteris sintenensis (Masam.) C.M.Kuo
• Pteris speciosa Mett. ex Kuhn
• Pteris splendens Kaulf.
• Pteris splendida Ching
• Pteris squamaestipes C. Chr. & Tardieu
• Pteris squamipes Copel.
• Pteris stenophylla Wall. ex Hook. & Grev.
• Pteris stridens Ag.
• Pteris striphnophylla Mickel
• Pteris subindivisa Clarke
• Pteris subquinata (Wall. ex Bedd.) Agardh
• Pteris subsimplex Ching
• Pteris sumatrana Bak.
• Pteris swartziana Ag.
• Pteris taiwanensis Ching
• Pteris talamauana Alderw.
• Pteris tapeinidiifolia H.Itô
• Pteris tarandus M.Kato & K.U.Kramer
• Pteris tenuissima Ching
• Pteris togoensis Hieron.
• Pteris torricelliana Christ
• Pteris trachyrachis C. Chr.
• Pteris transparens Mett.
• Pteris tremula
  Pteris tremula
  Pteris tremula, commonly known as Australian Brake, Tender Brake, Tender Brakefern, Shaking Brake is a fern species of the family Pteridaceae native to sheltered areas and forests in eastern Australia and New Zealand. It has pale green, lacy fronds of up to 2 meters in length, with an erect,...
  
  R. Br.
• Pteris treubii Alderw.
• Pteris tricolor Linden
• Pteris tripartita Sw.
• Pteris tussaci (Fée) Hook.
• Pteris umbrosa
  Pteris umbrosa
  Pteris umbrosa is a fern from eastern Australia. The habitat of the Jungle Brake is rainforest where it can form large colonies in shaded moist situations....
  
  R. Br.
• Pteris undulatipinna Ching
• Pteris usambarensis Hier.
• Pteris vaupelii Hieron.
• Pteris venusta Kunze
• Pteris verticillata (L.) Lellinger & Proctor
• Pteris vieillardii Mett.
• Pteris viridissima Ching
• Pteris vitiensis Bak.
• Pteris vittata
  Pteris vittata
  Pteris vittata, commonly known variously as the Chinese brake, Chinese ladder brake, or simply ladder brake, is a species of fern in the genus Pteris. It is indigenous to Asia, tropical Africa and Australia. The type specimen was collected in China by Pehr Osbeck.-Habitat and distribution:Pteris...
  
  L.
• Pteris wallichiana Agardh
• Pteris wangiana Ching
• Pteris warburgii Christ
• Pteris werneri (Rosenstock) Holtt.
• Pteris whitfordii Copel.
• Pteris woodwardioides Bory ex Willd.
• Pteris wulaiensis C.M.Kuo
• Pteris yakuinsularis Kurata
• Pteris yamatensis (Tagawa) Tagawa
• Pteris zahlbruckneriana Endl.
• Pteris zippelii (Miq.) M.Kato & K.U.Kramer

Cultivation and uses

Some of these ferns are popular in cultivation as houseplants. These smaller species are often called "table ferns".

Pteris vittata (commonly known as brake fern) was discovered to have the ability to "hyperaccumulate" (absorb large amounts of) arsenic

Arsenic

Arsenic is a chemical element with the symbol As, atomic number 33 and relative atomic mass 74.92. Arsenic occurs in many minerals, usually in conjunction with sulfur and metals, and also as a pure elemental crystal. It was first documented by Albertus Magnus in 1250.Arsenic is a metalloid...

 from soil. The fern was growing at a central Florida

Florida

Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

 site contaminated with large amounts of copper arsenate in the soil. Dr. Lena Q. Ma of the University of Florida

University of Florida

The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...

 later discovered that it had hyperaccumulated considerable amounts of arsenic from the soil. The discovery may lead to the use of pteris vittata as a potential bioremediation

Bioremediation

Bioremediation is the use of microorganism metabolism to remove pollutants. Technologies can be generally classified as in situ or ex situ. In situ bioremediation involves treating the contaminated material at the site, while ex situ involves the removal of the contaminated material to be treated...

plant. http://lqma.ifas.ufl.edu/PUBLICATION/MA-01A.PDF