宽鳞耳蕨 kuan lin er jue

Plants evergreen. Rhizome erect, densely covered with lanceolate dark brown scales. Fronds 40-60 cm; stipe stramineous or amber, 18-28 cm, 4-6 mm in diam. at base, densely covered with ovate and lanceolate scales; scales brown to dark brown, not twisted. Lamina bipinnate, narrowly ovate to broadly lanceolate, 30-45 × 8-12 cm, rounded-cuneate, slightly contracted at base, acuminate; rachis without proliferous bulbils, abaxially densely scaly; scales light brown to dark brown, ovate and narrowly lanceolate, flat, not twisted. Pinnae 24-26 pairs, alternate, attached at right angles to rachis or slightly ascendant, linear-lanceolate, sometimes falcate, middle pairs 5-8.5 × 1.4-1.6 cm, obliquely broadly cuneate to rounded-cuneate, shortly stalked, pinnate, acuminate. Pinnules 6-12 pairs, alternate, ascendant, approximate, obliquely ovate or broadly lanceolate, bases obliquely cuneate, margins entire or with few small acute forward-pointing teeth, apices acuminate and spinulose; basal acroscopic pinnules largest, 1.2-1.8 cm × 3-6 mm; abaxially scaly; microscales filiform, strongly ciliate at base; frond texture leathery; venation pinnate on pinnules, indistinct abaxially, flat or slightly concave adaxially. Sori in 1 row on each side of midrib; indusia present, entire.

● Forests; 900-1600 m. Anhui (Shucheng), Chongqing (Wushan), Hubei, Jiangxi, Zhejiang (Tianmu Shan).