中缅耳蕨 zhong mian er jue

Polystichum glingense Ching & Y. X. Lin; P. virescens Ching & S. K. Wu.

Plants evergreen. Rhizome erect or ascending, short, densely covered with linear brown scales. Fronds 60-120 cm; stipe yellowish brown, 34-62 cm, 4-6 mm in diam. at base, densely scaly; scales angled upward and slightly appressed to stipe, linear, subulate, or lanceolate and mixed with larger scales; large scales dense on lower stipe, dark brown, shiny, ovate and ovate-lanceolate, up to 20 × 3-8.5 mm, densely and regularly toothed and ciliate, caudate. Lamina bipinnate, deltoid-ovate, 48-74 × 20-35 cm near base, slightly contracted toward base, lower part sterile, apex acute, fertile; rachis without proliferous bulbils, densely scaly; scales dark brown, linear, subulate, and lanceolate, ciliate on margin, lanceolate scales caudate at apex. Pinnae 13-18 pairs, alternate, ascendant, shortly stalked, lanceolate, bases asymmetrical, apices caudate; lower pinnae 15-23 × 3.5-5.5 cm, 1-pinnate; costa scales dark brown, linear and subulate. Pinnules 12-20 pairs, alternate, shortly stalked, falcate-deltoid, bases cuneate, acroscopic bases with rounded auricles, margins with acute, shallow or deep teeth, apices acuminate; basal acroscopic pinnules (but not lowermost 3 or so) largest, pinnatilobate; abaxially with dense long-filiform microscales, adaxially with sparse microscales; frond texture papery; venation pinnate, lateral veins 5-9 pairs, dichotomous, distinct, adaxially with oblong hydathode terminal on veinlets. Sori 5-20 per pinnule, in 1 row on each side of midrib, terminal on veinlets; indusia present, irregularly lacerate.

Broad-leaved forests, mixed forests; 1700-2700 m. Xizang (Mêdog: Gling), W Yunnan [Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal].

Polystichum punctiferum was placed in P. sect. Macropolystichum by Fraser-Jenkins (Himalayan Ferns (Guide to Polystichum), 7. 1997).

Polystichum punctiferum has hydathodes on adaxial surface of pinnules, which is unique in P. sect. Hypopeltis. Its rachis scales are linear, subulate, and lanceolate, and dark brown.