宜昌耳蕨 yi chang er jue

Plants evergreen. Rhizome ascending or nearly erect, short, 1.2-2.5 cm in diam. including stipe bases, apically densely scaly; scales brown to dark brown or castaneous, lanceolate, up to 8 mm, densely serrulate. Fronds 14-48 cm; stipe light stramineous, 3-10 cm, 0.5-1 mm in diam., whole stipe sparsely scaly; scales brown or dark brown or partially castaneous, ovate (acute apically) or ovate-lanceolate, often whole or lower part appressed, membranous, sparsely toothed. Lamina 1-pinnate, light green or grayish green when dry, adaxially slightly darker, narrowly elliptic-lanceolate, 10-34 × 1.5-3.5 cm at middle, gradually contracted below middle, 1-2 cm wide at base, long acuminate to caudate; rachis light stramineous, without proliferous bulbils, both surfaces sparsely scaly; scales similar to stipe scales but smaller, brown or dark brown, appressed. Pinnae 17-35 pairs, alternate or nearly opposite, sessile or slightly shortly stalked, approximate, sometimes slightly remote, most pinnae somewhat reflexed, nearly oblong, bases obviously asymmetrical, apices acute and slightly ascendant; acroscopic base auriculate, auricles deltoid, apex of auricles acute or mucronate, proximal margins of auricles truncate or slightly curved and parallel or nearly parallel to rachis, sometimes slightly overlapping rachis, margins of auricles entire or with 1 shallow tooth on each margin, distal margins of pinnae substraight and with 1-6 shallow or deep, acute, often shortly spinulose teeth, basal basiscopic margins oblique, margins entire, often straight, distal basiscopic margins curved and with 1-4 teeth similar to those on acroscopic margins; adaxially glabrous, abaxially sparsely covered with microscales; microscales light brown, lanceolate or narrowly lanceolate; frond texture papery; venation pinnate, distinct abaxially, visible adaxially; lateral veins thickened to clavate apically, nearly reaching pinna margin, acroscopic lateral veins pinnate, dichotomous (a few simple), basiscopic lateral veins simple, rarely dichotomous; clavate and unusually swollen at ends (hydathodes). Sori small, terminal on shorter lateral veinlets, 1-8 on acroscopic side, medial or slightly closer to pinna margin, often absent on basiscopic side, sometimes 1-3 on acroscopic side; indusia present, small, dark brown, often light castaneous at middle, repand, caducous.

● Rock crevices in montane broad-leaved forests; 1000-1600 m. Chongqing (Jinfo Shan, Pengshui), N Guizhou (Daozhen, Wuchuan, Yanhe), W Hubei (Yichang), N and NW Hunan (Sangzhi, Shimen).