秦氏贯众 qin shi guan zhong

Plants 50-70 cm tall. Rhizome ascending, densely covered with lanceolate brown scales. Stipe stramineous, 30-38 cm, 3-4 mm in diam. at base, lower portion densely scaly; scales brown, sometimes dark brown at center, ovate or lanceolate, margins fimbriate, becoming glabrous upward. Lamina oblong-lanceolate, 24-46 × 12-14 cm, base not contracted, 1-pinnate, apex acuminate; rachis with narrowly lanceolate or linear dark brown scales. Lateral pinnae 18-22 pairs, alternate, nearly spreading, shortly stalked, oblong-lanceolate; middle pinnae 6-7 × 1.5-2 cm, basiscopic base oblique and rounded-cuneate, acroscopic base truncate, margins flat or often repand, apex pinnatifid and acuminate; terminal pinna narrowly ovate, 4-5 × ca. 2.5 cm, lower portion often pinnately lobed; leathery, with sparse hairlike microscales abaxially, lustrous adaxially; venation pinnate, indistinct abaxially, slightly concave adaxially, veinlets anastomosing to form 1 or 2 rows of areoles. Sori 2 rows on each side of midrib; indusia margins subentire. 2n = 164*.

● Limestone crevices in forests; ca. 700 m. S Guizhou (Libo).

Cyrtomium chingianum is relatively large. Its lamina is not obviously imparipinnate and the terminal pinna is pinnatifid.

This species is a sexual tetraploid.