蒙自耳蕨 meng zi er jue

Polystichum deltodon (Baker) Diels var. henryi Christ, Bull. Soc. Bot. France 52(Mém. 1): 1: 27. 1905.

Plants evergreen. Rhizome ascending to erect, short, apex densely scaly; scales bicolorous, blackish brown at middle, dull brown on margins, lanceolate, up to 5 × 1 mm at base, thickly membranous, subentire, acuminate. Fronds 18-25 cm; stipe stramineous, 3-8 cm, ca. 1.5 mm in diam. at middle; basal stipe scales dense, light brown, ovate-lanceolate, membranous, subentire, acuminate; distal stipe scales appressed, light brown, ovate or ovate-lanceolate, irregularly shortly denticulate, caudate. Lamina 1-pinnate, light green or light brownish green when dry, lanceolate, 14-19 × 1.8-2.2 cm at middle, base slightly contracted, apex pinnatifid and acuminate; rachis stramineous, without proliferous bulbils, sparsely scaly on both surfaces, scales similar to distal stipe scales. Pinnae 24-35 pairs, often alternate, rarely nearly opposite, approximate, midribs often attached at nearly right angles with rachis, sometimes lower pairs angled slightly basiscopically, rectangular or nearly deltoid, middle pairs 10-13 × 3-4 mm at base, apices slightly curved upward, acute and shortly spinulose, bases asymmetrical, acroscopic base slightly auriculate; auricles mucronate or nearly semicircular, apex of auricles acute and spinulose, proximal margins of auricles truncate or slightly curved, parallel to or slightly overlapping rachis, distal margins of auricles rounded, acroscopic margins of pinnae with 7-9 acute spinulose teeth, basal basiscopic margins narrowly cuneate, margins entire, distal basiscopic margins curved upward and with 1 sharp tooth; both surfaces glabrous; frond texture papery; venation pinnate, slightly distinct abaxially, indistinct adaxially, lateral veins dichotomous or simple. Sori small, terminal on veinlets, close to pinna margin, 1 row above midrib, 5-8 above midrib, often sterile below midrib, all pinnae fertile; indusia present, brown, erose, caducous.

● Rock crevices; ca. 1800 m. SE Yunnan (Mengzi).

When raising this taxon to specific rank, the original varietal epithet "henryi" is blocked by Polystichum henryi Christ (Notul. Syst. (Paris) 1(2): 36. 1909).