云南耳蕨 yun nan er jue

Polystichum gyirongense Ching; P. jizhushanense Ching.

Plants evergreen. Rhizome erect or ascending, short, densely covered with linear brown scales. Fronds up to 80 cm; stipe yellowish brown, 16-39 cm, 2-4 mm in diam. at base, densely covered with linear, lanceolate and larger scales; large scales bicolorous, blackish brown at middle, shiny, ovate, ovate-lanceolate, and broadly lanceolate, up to 12 × 6 mm, subentire, caudate. Lamina bipinnate, oblong or elliptic-lanceolate, 30-60 cm, middle part 13-22 cm wide, base slightly or not contracted, lower part sterile, apex acuminate or slightly acute, fertile or sometimes apical tip sterile; rachis without proliferous bulbils, abaxially densely covered with linear, lanceolate and larger scales; large scales bicolorous, blackish brown at middle, shiny, ovate-lanceolate or broadly lanceolate, up to 7 × 2.2 mm, irregularly serrulate, caudate. Pinnae 14-21 pairs, alternate, attached at right angles to rachis, shortly stalked, lanceolate, not contracted toward base, bases asymmetrical, apices acuminate or caudate; middle pinnae 5-11 × 1.4-2.6 cm, 1-pinnate; costa abaxially covered with linear brown scales. Pinnules 10-18 pairs, alternate, shortly stalked, deltoid-ovate, 1-1.7 cm × 5-7 mm, bases cuneate, with rounded auricles acroscopically, apices acute, margins coarsely toothed to shallowly lobed or deeply lobed, teeth obviously spinulose at tip; basal acroscopic pinnules largest, deeply incised to pinnatipartite; abaxially sparsely covered with shortly filiform microscales, adaxially subglabrous; frond texture papery; venation pinnate, lateral veins 5-7 pairs, dichotomous, distinct. Sori 4-6 pairs per pinnule, in 1 row on each side of midrib, slightly close to midrib, terminal on veinlets; indusia present, irregularly toothed. 2n = 164.

Streamsides, rocks in forests or wet places; 1400-3100 m. W Guizhou (Hezhang), SW Sichuan, SE Xizang, Yunnan [Afghanistan, Bhutan, India, Kashmir, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan].

As discussed in Zhang and He (Syst. Bot. 34: 13. 2009), although Fraser-Jenkins and Khullar’s (Indian Fern J. 2: 9. 1985) lectotypification of Polystichum yunnanense is contrary to Rec. 9A.4 (Melbourne Code), it cannot be rejected, and thus Zhang and Kung’s (1996) re-designation of A. Henry 9101 (PE) as the new lectotype of this species represented in the syntypes cannot be accepted.

This species has ovate-lanceolate to broadly lanceolate and bicolorous rachis scales, and its pinnules are deltoid-ovate and coarsely toothed to shallowly lobed or deeply lobed.