食蕨 shi jue

Pteris esculenta G. Forster, Pl. Esc. 74. 1786.

Plants ca. 1 m tall. Rhizome long creeping. Fronds firmly leathery when dried; stipe yellowish brown, shiny, 40-50 cm, adaxially sulcate; lamina 3-pinnate-pinnatifid, oblong-triangular in outline, 50-60 × 60-80 cm, base rounded-cuneate, apex acuminate; pinnae 15-18 pairs, alternate, stalked (ca. 2 cm), slightly obliquely spreading, oblong-lanceolate, up to 35 × 11-15 cm, base cordate or subtruncate, apex long acuminate, caudate; pinnules ca. 30 pairs per pinna, alternate, sessile, broadly lanceolate, 5.5-7 × 1.5-2.5 cm, base truncate, spreading, apex caudate (1.5-2 cm) to acuminate; segments 12-14 pairs per pinna, linear, lateral ones ca. 10 × 2-2.5 mm, gradually wider upward, alternate, spreading, connate with costules, margins reflexed, serrulate, apex obtuse; middle pinnules similar to lower ones but narrower, apex caudate; apical pinnules linear, up to 30 × ca. 3 mm, not pinnate (entire); apical pinnae lanceolate, pinnate; ultimate pinnules linear, ca. 2.5 mm wide, apically obtuse; veins not conspicuous, hairy abaxially, veinlets somewhat grooved; rachis, costae, and costules shiny, glabrous, adaxially grooved; rachis yellowish brown, costae and costules green.

Sunny forest gaps on slopes; ca. 1000 m. SW Guangxi (Longjin, Napo), Hainan (Diaoluo Shan) [Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam; Australia, Pacific islands].