Lomaria is a small genus of terrestrial ferns in the family Blechnaceae, order Polypodiales. As circumscribed under the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group (PPG I, 2016) classification, the genus contains seven accepted species, placed within the subfamily Blechnoideae alongside related genera such as Blechnum, Doodia, Parablechnum, and Sadleria.
The genus was established by the German botanist Carl Ludwig Willdenow. The current circumscription of Lomaria emerged from a major 2016 revision of Blechnaceae by Gasper et al., which segregated numerous monophyletic genera from the formerly broad, paraphyletic Blechnum sensu lato. Several species now placed in Lomaria were previously treated under Blechnum, and some older literature still uses those names interchangeably.
Like other members of Blechnaceae, Lomaria ferns are predominantly ground-dwelling plants, and the young fronds of many species in the family characteristically emerge tinged with red before maturing to green. The seven currently recognized species include Lomaria discolor, native to New Zealand and Australia, and Lomaria nuda, native to southeastern Australia.
Etymology
The genus name Lomaria was established by the German botanist Carl Ludwig Willdenow (Willd.); the name derives from the Greek loma (λῶμα), meaning "border" or "fringe," referring to the marginal sori characteristic of ferns in this group.
Distribution
Lomaria species occur primarily in the Southern Hemisphere. Lomaria discolor is native to New Zealand and southern Australia, while Lomaria nuda is native to southeastern Australia. Other species in the genus are distributed in South America and the Pacific. The broader family Blechnaceae, to which Lomaria belongs, has a cosmopolitan distribution.
Taxonomy Notes
Lomaria is placed in the subfamily Blechnoideae of the family Blechnaceae (order Polypodiales) under the PPG I (2016) classification. Its current circumscription as a distinct, monophyletic genus resulted from the 2016 revision by Gasper et al., which split the formerly broad, paraphyletic genus Blechnum sensu lato into 24 segregate genera. Many species now in Lomaria were previously treated as Blechnum, and synonymy with Blechnum names is common in the literature. As of July 2025, the Checklist of Ferns and Lycophytes of the World accepts seven species in the genus.
