栗轴凤尾蕨 li zhou feng wei jue

Pteris wangiana Ching.

Plants 50-70 cm tall. Rhizome long ascending, ca. 1 cm in diam., woody, apex with light brown scales. Fronds clustered; stipe with basal part castaneous-brown, upper part and rachis castaneous-red, shiny, 30-40 cm, ca. 2 mm in diam., glabrous, scales with expanded bases; lamina 2- or 3-pinnatipartite, broadly ovate to oblong in outline, 30-35 × 15-20 cm; lateral pinnae 5 or 6, opposite, decumbent; basal pair shortly stalked, each often with 1(or 2) basiscopic pinnules similar to main part of pinna but smaller, middle pinnae sessile, lanceolate, 10-15 × 2-3 cm, pectinately divided to near costa, apex long acuminate; segments 20-25 pairs, alternate, approximate, slightly decumbent, narrowly oblong, 10-15 × 3-4 mm, base rounded-cuneate, basally enlarged with basiscopic side slightly decurrent, margin entire, apex obtuse; terminal pinna similar to median lateral pinnae, but with stipe ca. 1 cm; costae abaxially light straw-colored, sometimes chestnut abaxially, shiny, glabrous, slightly grooved adaxially, with aciculate spines on both sides of groove; veins conspicuous, sparse, oblique, basal part forked but simple upward; lamina grass-green, herbaceous when dried, glabrous.

Shaded forests; 600-1600 m. Hainan (Wuzhi Shan), Hunan (Yizhang), N and S Taiwan, Yunnan [S Vietnam].