Ophioglossum
| Ophioglossum | |
|---|---|
| Ophioglossum vulgatum | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Division: | Polypodiophyta |
| Class: | Polypodiopsida |
| Order: | Ophioglossales |
| Family: | Ophioglossaceae |
| Subfamily: | Ophioglossoideae |
| Genus: | Ophioglossum L. |
| Type species | |
| Ophioglossum vulgatum L. | |
| Species | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Ophioglossum, the adder's-tongue ferns, is a genus of about 50 species of ferns in the family Ophioglossaceae. The genus name comes from Ancient Greek ὄφις (óphis), meaning "snake", and γλῶσσα (glôssa), meaning "tongue". Their cosmopolitan distribution is mainly in tropical and subtropical habitats.
The genus has the largest number of chromosomes in the known plant kingdom, but contrary to popular belief does not have the largest number of chromosomes out of all known organisms, falling short to the protist Sterkiella histriomuscorum.