流苏耳蕨 liu su er jue

Plants evergreen. Rhizome stout, densely covered with narrowly ovate brown scales. Fronds 40-50 cm; stipe stramineous, 15-18 cm, 3-4 mm in diam. at base, densely scaly; scales reddish brown, ovate and lanceolate, margins toothed. Lamina 1-pinnate, linear-lanceolate, 34-42 × 5-5.5 cm, base nearly truncate, apex acuminate; rachis without proliferous bulbils, abaxially densely scaly in lower part; scales reddish brown, ovate, gradually becoming lanceolate and linear upward, toothed. Pinnae 30-34 pairs, attached at right angles to rachis, shortly stalked, ± approximate, oblong, middle pinnae 2.4-2.8 × 1-1.2 cm, bases obliquely broadly cuneate, acroscopic bases auriculate, margins spinulose-toothed, apices rounded, or slightly contracted to obtuse and mucronate; abaxially with dense microscales; microscales reddish brown, filiform; frond texture hard leathery; venation pinnate, lateral veins twice-forked, slightly concave abaxially, indistinct adaxially. Sori terminal or nearly terminal on shorter veinlets, in 1 row on each side of midrib of pinna, close to pinna margin, lower part of lamina and proximal part of lower fertile pinnae often sterile; indusia present, entire.

Limestone crevices in forests; 700-1100 m. NW Guangxi, S Guizhou (Huishui, Libo, Pingtang) [N Vietnam].

The distribution record for Vietnam is new.

"Polystichum fimbriatum C. Presl" (Epimel. Bot. 58. 1851), based on "Aspidium fimbriatum Wallich" (Numer. List, no. 339. 1829, nom. nud.), was not validly published (Melbourne Code, Art. 38.1(a)).