莲座粉背蕨 lian zuo fen bei jue

Cheilanthes rosulata C. Christensen, Acta Horti Gothob. 1: 89. 1924.

Rhizomes erect, short; scales bicolorous, dark brown with light brown margins, narrowly lanceolate. Fronds clustered. Stipe reddish brown, lustrous, 3-8 cm, sparsely scaly; scales concolorous to slightly bicolorous, light brown, linear-lanceolate, thin. Lamina ovate-pentagonal, slightly longer than broad, 2-5 cm, 3-pinnatipartite, thinly herbaceous when dry, abaxially with white farina, adaxially glabrous or sparsely farinose; rachis reddish brown. Pinnae 3-5 pairs; basal pair of pinnae ovate-triangular, apex obtusely acute; basal basiscopic pinnule largest, longer than adjacent acroscopic ones, ca. 1 cm, pinnatipartite, ultimate segments 4 or 5 pairs; second pair of pinnae ovate-lanceolate, ca. 2 × 1 cm, pinnatipartite; other pinnae gradually shortened distally. Sori sparse, consisting of mostly 2 or 3 sporangia, not fully confluent at maturity. False indusia narrow, membranous, continuous, margins entire to slightly undulate.

● Rock crevices; 1500-2700 m. W Sichuan.

Aleuritopteris rosulata is a rare fern with laminae thin and herbaceous. The species was originally described as having dimorphic fronds, but subsequent collections have shown that this is incorrect.