the hanging fern family, containing 4–5 genera and 65 species, in the division Pteridophyta (the lower vascular plants (plant)). The family is mostly restricted to tropical regions, especially in the Old World. Most of the species are epiphytes (epiphyte) with long-creeping noticeably and densely scaly rhizomes (rhizome). Leaf morphology is variable, ranging from one to several times pinnately compound. The sori (fern) vary from circular to hemispherical to kidney-shaped and in most genera are positioned along the margins of the leaflets or leaf divisions. They are covered with a membranous protective flap of tissue (indusium (fern)). The spores are bean-shaped (bilateral). A few species of Davallia (rabbit's foot fern) are cultivated as ornamentals in greenhouses, conservatories, and homes, often in hanging baskets that eventually become covered with a network of rhizomes.