昴山蹄盖蕨 mao shan ti gai jue

Fertile fronds up to 68 cm; stipe upward brownish stramineous, ca. 30 cm, base ca. 2.5 mm in diam., clothed with brownish, lanceolate scales, upward glabrate; lamina 2-pinnate, ovate, up to 38 × ca. 26 cm, base slightly narrowed, apex abruptly narrowed; pinnae 9 pairs under abruptly narrowed apex, basal pinnae opposite or subopposite, upper pinnae alternate, subspreading, subsessile; basal pinnae prominently shortened, 8-9 × ca. 2.8 cm, base narrowed; third to fifth pairs of pinnae subequal, lanceolate, up to 13 × 3.2 cm, base slightly narrowed, subequilateral, truncate, pinnate, apex acuminate; pinnules 15-16 pairs, alternate, reflexed, sessile, oblong, ca. 1.5 cm × 7-8 mm, base inequilateral, rounded-cuneate on acroscopic side, narrowly cuneate and decurrent on basiscopic side, pinnatilobate, with several triangular small teeth, apex obtuse-rounded; pinnule segments 4 or 5 pairs, with 2 or 3 short teeth at apex, basal acroscopic pinnules often overlaying rachis; veins inconspicuous adaxially, visible abaxially, pinnate per pinnule, basal acroscopic veins often pinnate, basiscopic veins usually simple. Lamina herbaceous when dried, greenish brown adaxially, dark green abaxially, glabrate on both surfaces; rachis and costae brownish stramineous, glabrate abaxially, with short spines adaxially. Sori elliptic or J-shaped, 4 or 5 pairs per pinnule, biseriate on both sides of costule; indusia brown, elliptic or J-shaped, membranous, ciliate at margin, persistent. Perispore surface without folds.

● Valley forests; ca. 1200 m. S Zhejiang (Longquan, Maoshan).

Athyrium maoshanense is very similar to A. devolii but differs by the pinnules oblong, rounded-obtuse at apex, connate to each other by a narrow wing, and sori mostly oblong, sometimes J-shaped.