In Vitro Conservation of Some Threatened and Economically Important Ferns Belonging to the Indian Subcontinent

Table 1

Details of the pteridophytic plants collected, importance, and their site of collection for in vitro conservation.

S. number	Pteridophytic taxa	Family	Part used	Conservation status	Importance	Zone of collection
1	Nephrolepis biserrata	Nephrolepidaceae	Whole plant	—	Ornamental fern, much demand in nursery trait and cut flower industry. Cultivated in the botanical gardens as ornamentals and as potted plants for indoor decoration.	Gangetic plain
2	N. cordifolia cv. L duffii	Nephrolepidaceae	Whole plant,; young leaves	—	Ornamental fern. Young leaves are cooked as vegetable by the tribals.	Gangetic plain
3	N. exaltata cv. bostoniensis	Nephrolepidaceae	Whole plant,; young leaves	—	Ornamental fern, much demand in nursery trait and cut flower industry. Cultivated in the botanical gardens as ornamentals and as potted plants for indoor decoration.	Gangetic plain
4	Cyathea spinulosa	Cyatheaceae	Trunk and pith	Threatened	A threatened tree fern listed in Red-Data Book. Trunk is extensively using in the orchid cultivation. Pith from the trunks is used as a food product	Kumaon,; Northeast; Himalaya
5	Pityrogramma calomelanos	Hemioitidaceae	Whole plant	Threatened	A threatened tree fern listed in Red-Data Book. It is hyperaccumulator of arsenic	Tamilnadu
6	Microsoium punctatum	Polypodiaceae	Fronds	Threatened	A threatened tree fern listed in Red-Data Book and a popular houseplant. Much demand in nursery trait as an economically important fern due to its edible value in Asia and Pacific region. The cooked fronds of this fern are consumed in New Guinea.	Western; Himalayas
7	Pteris vittata	Pteridaceae	Whole plant	—	An ornamental fern. Hyperaccumulator of arsenic. In Florida, USA it is using as a phytoremediator in arsenic-enriched soil.	Gangetic plain
8	Cyclosorus dentatus	Thelypteridaceae	Whole plant	—	An ornamental fern	Gangetic plain