斜裂铁角蕨 xie lie tie jiao jue

Plants 40-45 cm tall. Rhizome erect, short, scaly; scales brown, narrowly triangular, margins dentate to fimbriate. Fronds caespitose; stipe grayish brown, 20-35 cm, sulcate adaxially, when young with dark brown, narrowly triangular to ovate scales with several rows of marginal cells less thickened than in central zone, subglabrous when old; lamina ovate-elliptic, 20-30 × 6-8 cm, apex acute, pinnate-pinnatifid; pinnae 10-15 pairs, with stalks 2-4 mm, not much reduced toward base, narrowly triangular to rhomboid, 3-3.5 × 1-2.2 cm, base asymmetrical, broadly cuneate, margin dentate, apex acuminate; segments 3 or 4 pairs, rectangular to elliptic, 6-11 × 3-8 mm, basal acroscopic segment largest, flabellate, apex obtuse and dentate, lateral sides entire. Veins obvious on both sides, costa shallowly sulcate adaxially, veins 2- or 3-forked, running almost to margin. Fronds herbaceous to papery, brownish green when dry, with supravascular ridges on lamina adaxially, rachis greenish gray, sulcate adaxially, abaxially grayish brown, with sparse dark brown, narrowly triangular scales. Sori 2-4 per segment, linear, 2.5-5 mm, median on subtending veins; indusia gray-brown, linear, entire, opening toward major veins or costa, persistent. Plants sexual tetraploid: 2n = 144*.

● On rocky cliffs in forests; 500-1000 m. Hainan.

Asplenium pseudopraemorsum is similar to A. aethiopicum in general aspect and outline but lacks the reddish brown fimbriate scales and has shorter sori. Asplenium protractum Tardieu & Ching is also similar but has more subleathery fronds with shorter sori.