密鳞耳蕨 mi lin er jue

Aspidium squarrosum D. Don, Prodr. Fl. Nepal. 4. 1825; A. brachypterum Kunze; Polystichum apicisterile Ching & S. K. Wu; P. brachypterum (Kunze) Ching; P. integripinnulum Ching.

Plants evergreen. Rhizome erect, densely covered with broadly lanceolate brown scales. Fronds 50-80 cm; stipe amber, 18-42 cm, up to 1 cm in diam. at base, densely scaly; scales brown or reddish brown, ovate and linear, basal stipe scales dark brown at middle. Lamina bipinnate, narrowly ovate or narrowly oblong, 45-62 × 9-16 cm, rounded-cuneate, sometimes slightly contracted at base, acuminate; rachis without proliferous bulbils, densely scaly; scales reddish brown or brown, lanceolate with ciliate margins or linear, apex twisted. Pinnae 30-40 pairs, alternate, slightly ascendant, linear-lanceolate or broadly lanceolate, middle pairs 5-10 × 1.5-2 cm, obliquely cuneate to broadly cuneate, with stalk 1-2 mm, pinnate, acuminate. Pinnules 8-18 pairs, alternate, slightly ascendant, approximate, obliquely ovate, broadly ovate, or nearly rhombic, auricles deltoid, bases obliquely broadly cuneate, margins entire or with few spinulose teeth, apices acute or acuminate and spinulose; basal acroscopic pinnules largest, 1.2-1.6 cm × 5-6 mm, not divided or acroscopic margins pinnatilobate; abaxially scaly; microscales filiform, strongly ciliate at base; frond texture leathery; venation pinnate on pinnules, not concave or slightly raised abaxially, slightly concave adaxially. Sori in 1 row on each side of midrib; indusia present, entire.

Forests; 1900-2400 m. S Xizang [Bhutan, N India, Kashmir, Nepal, Pakistan].