黑鳞瓦韦 hei lin wa wei

Polypodium sordidum C. Christensen, Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 26: 320. 1931; Lepisorus sordidus f. rostrata Ching.

Plants 20-40 cm tall. Rhizomes shortly creeping, 2.5-3 mm in diam., densely scaly; scales narrowly lanceolate, 2.5-4 × 0.5-1 mm; lumina usually thick and totally opaque, sometimes thin and transparent. Fronds closely spaced; stipe straw-colored, 3-12 cm, thick, ca. 2 mm in diam.; lamina grayish green, ovate-lanceolate, widest 1/3 from base, both ends abruptly narrowed, 20-35 × 2-3 cm, nearly softly leathery, both surfaces smooth when dried, base decurrent, apex long caudate; costa raised on both sides, veinlets obscure. Sori restricted to distal 1/3 on narrow distal part of lamina, orbicular, ca. 4 mm in diam., midway between costa and margins; paraphyses dark brown, peltate, rounded-stellate, 0.2-0.3 mm in diam., margin with long and strong spines; lumina opaque, thick and dark colored, or thin and brown.

On trunks of broad-leaved trees beside streams; 1200-1400 m. Sichuan, Yunnan [India].

Lepisorus sordidus is a very rare species in China. The dark and opaque rhizome scales and stellate paraphyses are as in L. medogensis, but it differs by the broadly lanceolate leaves. The collections from Mt. Emei usually have the scales and paraphyses thin and brown in color.