Hymenophyllaceae
| Hymenophyllaceae Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
| Hymenophyllum tunbrigense in Luxembourg | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Division: | Polypodiophyta |
| Class: | Polypodiopsida |
| Subclass: | Polypodiidae |
| Order: | Hymenophyllales A.B.Frank |
| Family: | Hymenophyllaceae Link |
| Genera | |
The Hymenophyllaceae, the filmy ferns and bristle ferns, are a family of two to nine genera (depending on classification system) and about 650 known species of ferns, with a subcosmopolitan distribution, but generally restricted to very damp places or to locations where they are wetted by spray from waterfalls or springs. Fossil evidence shows that ferns of the family Hymenophyllaceae have existed since at least the Upper Triassic.