峨嵋蹄盖蕨 e mei ti gai jue

Athyrium amplissimum Ching, Boufford & K. H. Shing (1983), not (Baker) Holttum (1955); A. filix-femina (Linnaeus) Roth var. flavicoma Christ; A. flavicoma (Christ) Ching; A. parapellucidum Ching; A. pellucidum Ching.

Rhizomes short, stout, erect, apex densely scaly; scales brown or red-brown, shiny, linear, linear-lanceolate, or lanceolate. Fronds caespitose; fertile fronds 50-150 cm; stipe blackish brown at base, upward brown-stramineous, (20-)40-60 cm, 3-5 mm in diam., base similarly densely scaly; lamina 2- or 3-pinnate, oblong-ovate or broadly ovate, (24-)45-66 × (20-)30-40 cm, base not narrowed or slightly narrowed, rounded-cuneate, apex acuminate; pinnae 12-15 pairs, lower pinnae subopposite, upper pinnae alternate, slightly ascending, with stalk ca. 1 cm or subsessile; basal pinnae slightly larger than subbasal 2 or 3 pairs of pinnae, broadly lanceolate, 12-25 × (4-)6-10 cm, base slightly narrowed, apex acuminate; middle pinnae narrowly lanceolate, pinnate; pinnules pinnatipartite to 2-pinnate; second basal and upper pinnae gradually shortened, not narrowed toward base; pinnules ca. 20 pairs, alternate; basal pinnules subopposite, ascending, lower 2 or 3 pairs of pinnae slightly shortened; middle pinnae longer, falcate-lanceolate, (1.5-)3.5-5 × (0.6-)1-1.2 cm, base equilateral, rounded-truncate, acroscopically close to costae, basiscopically cuneate, or base inequilateral, truncate on acroscopic side, somewhat auriculate, cuneate on basiscopic side, subsessile or shortly stalked, pinnate or pinnatipartite nearly to costules, apex acuminate or acute; pinnule segments (8-)12-15 pairs, oblique, basal segments larger, oblong or oblong-lanceolate, 6-9 × 1.5-2 mm, margin toothed or pinnatilobate, apex acute, with few small teeth; segments dense, basal acroscopic and basiscopic segments almost equal or acroscopic segments larger; veins visible abaxially, slightly visible adaxially, pinnate in segments, lateral veins 2-5 pairs, oblique, lower veins forked, upper veins simple. Lamina firmly herbaceous when dried, greenish brown, glabrate; rachis, costae, and costules brown-stramineous, with subulate spines on adaxial side at base of costa or costule, abaxially with sparse brownish lanceolate scales. Sori orbicular or horseshoe-shaped, 1-6 per segment, biseriate on both sides of costule; indusia brown, suborbicular-reniform or horseshoe-shaped, membranous, entire, persistent. Perispore surface without folds.

● Wet areas in forests, forest margins, streamsides, rock crevices; 900-3000 m. Chongqing, SE Gansu, NW Guizhou, NW Hubei, Hunan, Shaanxi, Sichuan, N Yunnan.