Lygodium Temporal range:Cretaceous–Recent PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Lygodium japonicum
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Division:	Polypodiophyta
Class:	Polypodiopsida
Order:	Schizaeales
Family:	Lygodiaceae C.Presl
Genus:	Lygodium Sw.
Type species
Lygodium scandens (L.)Sw.
Species
See text
Synonyms[1]
ArthrolygodesPresl 1845 CteisiumMichaux 1803 GisopterisBernh. 1800 HugonaCavanilles ex Roemer 1801 HydroglossumWilldenow 1802 LygodictyonSmith ex Hook. 1842 OdontopterisBernhardi 1800 non (Brongniart 1822) Sternberg 1825 Ramondiade Mirbel 1801 UgenaCavanilles 1801 VallifilixDu Petit-Thouars 1806

Lygodium (climbing fern) is a genus of about 40 species offerns, native to tropical regions across the world, with a few temperate species in easternAsia and easternNorth America. It is the sole genus in the familyLygodiaceae in thePteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I).^[1] Alternatively, the genus may be placed as the only genus in the subfamilyLygodioideae of a more broadly defined family Schizaeaceae,^[2] the family placement used inPlants of the World Online as of November 2019^[update].^[3] Per recent molecular evidence, Lygodiaceae is thought to have diverged relatively early from the other members of the Schizaeales due to the relatively high level of synonymous sequence divergence between the families within the Schizaeales.^[4]

Lygodium are unusual in that the rachis, or midrib, of thefrond is thin, flexible, and long, the frondunrolling with indeterminate growth and the rachis twining around supports, so that each frond forms a distinctvine. The fronds may be from 3–12 m (9.8–39.4 ft) long, depending on the species. They are also easily identifiable by their possession of apical buds that lay dormant until damage to the rachis occurs, allowing them a high degree of endurance.^[5]

Lygodium is a wide ranging genus with native populations existing in Asia, Australasia, Africa, and North and South America. The genus is largely pan-tropical, with the center of diversity being Pacific islands, such as Borneo, the Philippine islands, and New Guinea.^[5]There do exist several species tolerant of temperate climates such asLygodium palmatum, which is endemic to the Appalachian region of eastern North America, andLygodium japonicum, which is native to Japan, but highly invasive in the Southeastern United States. For more on this, refer to the "As invasive species" section below. The lack of extantLygodium species in Europe is commonly attributed to thePleistocene glaciation wiping them out. Similar extirpations did not occur in other high middle and high latitude areas, such as the United States and Japan that do haveLygodium populations at present. This discrepancy is thought to be due to the East-West orientation of theEuropean Alps preventing southward migration ofLygodium members, among other extirpated species, while the relatively North-South orientations of theAppalachian mountains andJapanese Alps allowed such southward migration.^[5]

Lygodium species, known asnito, are used as a source of fibers in thePhilippines. The fibers are used as material for weaving, most notably of traditionalsalakot headgear.^[6][7]

SomeLygodium species are now considered very problematic invasive weeds in the southeastern United States. Populations ofLygodium have increased more than 12-fold over the past decade, as noted by Florida'sInstitute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.^[8]

Japanese climbing fern (Lygodium japonicum) was added to the Florida Noxious Weed List in 1999. It is also a major problem in pine plantations, causing contamination and harvesting problems for the pine straw industry. Old World climbing fern (Lygodium microphyllum) infests cypress swamps and other hydric sites, forming a monoculture. This massive infestation displaces all native flora and fauna, completely changing the ecosystem of the area.^[9]

Plants in this genus have basal chromosome counts ofn=28, 29, 30.

Wikimedia Commons has media related toLygodium.

• Flora of North America:Lygodium
• "Lygodium Sw".Australian Plant Name Index (APNI), IBIS database. Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government.
• C.Michael Hogan. 2010.Fern. Encyclopedia of Earth. eds. Saikat Basu and C.Cleveland. National Council for Science and the Environment. Washington DC.
• Flora of China:Lygodium species list

• Lygodium
• Fern genera
• Taxa named by Olof Swartz

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Articles with 'species' microformats
• Articles containing potentially dated statements from November 2019
• All articles containing potentially dated statements
• Commons category link is on Wikidata
• Taxonbars with 20–24 taxon IDs