Rumohra adiantiformis is a widely distributed species of Pteridophyte, known as black-fern and often used for floral bouquets. The plants have different leaf shapes and sizes according to the environment they occur. This paper describes the phenotypic variability of individuals of R. adiantiformis with distinct habits and environments, using morphological traits as indicators of plasticity. Leaves collected in three different types of vegetation were measured. The main values of total leaf length, leaf area, stomatal density, and thickness of mesophyll were significantly different among the three environments. The data suggests that R. adiantiformis shows phenotypic variability for most of the traits analyzed, the individuals of sunny terrestrial habitats were the most morphologically distinct. This result is probably associated with more stressing conditions of this environment, such as water deficit and higher light intensity.
leaf anatomy; leaf morphology; plasticity
