Greek kustos - bladder, pteris - fern; refrring to the inflated bladder-like indusia.

Small terrestrial ferns. Rhizomes short-creeping, branched, scaly. Sterile and fertile fronds similar. Fronds in clusters, divided 2-3 times, shed in winter. Sori round, in groups. Indusia round, generally pouched or bladder-like.

c. 10 species, widespread in temperate regions (1 in Australia).

Spores or division.

Fronds dying down in winter, mostly less than 20 cm long but C. fragilis sometimes more; sori round and, at first, protected by ovate indusia that curl over them.

Blasdell (1963), Brownsey et al. (1985).

Source: Spencer, R. (1995). Athyriaceae. In: Spencer, R.. Horticultural Flora of South-eastern Australia. Volume 1, Ferns, conifers & their allies. The identification of garden and cultivated plants. University of New South Wales Press.