phegopteris

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. A genus of ferns, the beech-ferns. The stipe is continuous with the root-stock, as in the Aspideæ, and the sori are naked, small, and borne on the back of the veins, below the apex; the frond is variable. There are about 90 species, of which number 5 are found in North America. By some pteridologists this genus is regarded as a section of the genus Polypodium.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. beech ferns: genus is variously classified: considered alternative name for genus Dryopteris or included in genus Thelypteris