| Schizaeaceae | |
|---|---|
| |
| Schizaea cf. bifida from Waratah Track, Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, Australia | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Division: | Polypodiophyta |
| Class: | Polypodiopsida |
| Order: | Schizaeales |
| Family: | Schizaeaceae Kaulf. |
| Genera[1] | |
Schizaeaceae is a family of ferns in the order Schizaeales. In the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I), it includes only two genera.[1] Alternatively, two families kept separate in PPG I, Lygodiaceae and Anemiaceae, may be included in Schizaeaceae (as the subfamilies Lygodioideae and Anemioideae)[2] so that the family has four genera.[3][4] In this approach, the Schizaeaceae of PPG I is treated as the subfamily Schizaeoideae.[2]
Species are mainly distributed in the tropics, but several are found in temperate regions in North America, South Africa, Australasia and Northeast Asia.[5][6] The sporangia are borne on specialised pinnae, distinct from ordinary vegetative pinnae. The pinnae form small comb-like, pinnate structures on which the sporangia are formed.[citation needed]
In the narrow circumscription of the family, there are two genera:[1]
Two further genera are included in the broader circumscription:[3]
