What is Pteris?

pteris , colloqually known as the brake, the genus is about 280 species of ferns. pteris species come from tropical and subtropical areas around the world. Many smaller species are commonly maintained as home plants and are called "table ferns". The pteris species are also popular as garden plants. Perhaps the most extreme example is the critically endangered Fern p. Adscensois , which grows only on the island of Ascension, on a small volcanic island in the Southern Atlantic Ocean. There are only an estimated 500 p. p. umbrosa or the brake of the jungle has a native range limited to rainforests in East Australia, where it grows in large colonies. Tremula , commonly called the Australian brake, menu or fraying brake. The name of the tremula means "shaking" or "trembling". The species is known for its light green, lace leaves.

p. Tremula is originally from protected rainforest and wet sclerophyll environment Australia and the surrounding islands. It was allegedly the most cultivated types of pteris grown in the United States in the 1950s. There are four gardening varieties p. Tremula : Caudata , minor , pectitinata and tremula . The plant prefers shade and filtered morning light and best grows in medium -depleted soil that keeps some water.

p. Vittata , commonly called a ladder brake or a Chinese brake, is considered to be an invasive species in the United States where it grows in the southern states, from Texas to Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. It is also gravy in parts of California and Havai. p. Vittata is a arsenic hyperacumulator in the soil, which means it absorbs a large amount of chemical. This ability p. Vittata wasDiscovered by Dr. Lena Q. Ma of the University of Florida, which studied ladder brake plant growing in the middle floride area with severe concentrations of soil with copper arsenate.

Many types of pteris have been discovered for hyperacuming arsenic, including p. Cretica and p. Multifida . However, not all pteris ferns share this feature. For example, p. Tremula does not tolerate the soil with a high content of arsenic. In addition, ferns belonging to other families can be arsenic hyperacumulators. Scientists hope that such plants can be used in the efforts to remove excess arsenic from contaminated soils.