金沙江蹄盖蕨 jin sha jiang ti gai jue

Rhizomes short, erect, apex clothed with red-brown, lanceolate scales. Fronds caespitose; fertile fronds up to 55 cm; stipe blackish brown, upward stramineous, up to 25 cm, base ca. 1.8 mm in diam., densely clothed with scales, upward glabrate; lamina 2-pinnate, oblong, 25-30 × ca. 16 cm at middle, base slightly narrowed, subrounded, apex acuminate; pinnae ca. 15 pairs, lower pinnae opposite, upper pinnae alternate, subspreading, subsessile, basal pinnae slightly shortened, up to 7 cm, base slightly narrowed; third basal pinnae lanceolate, up to 10 cm × 2-2.4 cm, base equilateral, subtruncate, pinnate, apex acuminate; pinnules ca. 14 pairs, basal pinnules opposite, upper pinnules alternate, spreading, approximate, subsessile, oblong, 1.2-1.4 cm × ca. 7 mm, base inequilateral, truncate, parallel to costae on acroscopic side, cuneate on basiscopic side, decurrent and adnate to wing of costae, pinnatipartite to 1/2, apex obtuse-rounded and with lacerate long teeth; pinnule segments 3 or 4 pairs, rhomboid, ca. 2.5 × 1.5 mm, apex obtuse, with long teeth; veins visible on both surfaces, pinnate in segments, lateral veins 1 or 2 pairs, oblique, simple. Lamina thinly herbaceous when dried, pale yellow-green, glabrate on both surfaces; rachis stramineous, costae pale red-purple, with sparse short hairs abaxially, with needlelike spines on adaxial side at base of costa, costule, or midrib. Sori oblong, occasionally J-shaped, 1 per segment, 3 or 4 pairs per pinnule, close to costules; indusia brown, oblong, occasionally J-shaped, membranous, entire, persistent. Perispore surface without folds.

● Evergreen forests in valleys; ca. 3000 m. C Yunnan.