Matoniaceae

Matoniaceae is one of the three families of ferns in the Gleicheniales order of the Polypodiopsida class. Fossil records reveal that Matoniaceae ferns were abundant during the Mesozoic era (about 250-million to 66-million years ago), during which they lived on every continent, including Antarctica, with eight genera and 26 species. Today the family is much less abundant, and also less diverse, with only two extant genera and five species, which are limited to portions of southeastern Asia.