刚毛耳蕨 gang mao er jue

Plants evergreen. Rhizome short, ascending, together with remnant stipe base up to 3 cm in diam. Fronds 30-60 cm; stipe base castaneous, stramineous upward, 3-15 cm, 1-1.5 mm in diam. at base, densely scaly; scales varying in size, light brown, membranous; largest scales ovate or broadly ovate, subentire, shortly acuminate; smaller scales ovate-lanceolate to lanceolate, with few fimbriate teeth, long acuminate. Lamina dark green adaxially when dry, light green abaxially, narrowly elliptic-lanceolate, 20-45 × 2.5-5 cm at middle, gradually contracted toward base, base ca. 1/2 as wide as middle, 1-pinnate, apex acuminate; rachis stramineous, without proliferous bulbils, densely scaly on both surfaces; scales similar to stipe scales, brown, lanceolate. Pinnae 25-45 pairs, overlapping or approximate, sometimes slightly imbricate, sessile, bases asymmetrical, apices acute and with short spinule slightly curved upward; acroscopic base obviously wider and auriculate, acroscopic margins recurved and forming an obtuse angle with rachis, basiscopic margins often forming ± right angles with rachis, margins of pinnae pinnatilobate to pinnatifid, or only incised and with shallow obtuse teeth; middle pinnae largest, attached at right angles to rachis, obliquely ovate or ovate-lanceolate, 1.5-3 × 0.5-1.5 cm, lower pinnae gradually contracted toward base and slightly reflexed; basal pinnae nearly deltoid, shorter than 1/2 width of middle largest pinnae; auricles deltoid, sparsely toothed, acute and shortly spinulose; lobes of pinnatifid pinnae up to 5 pairs, basal acroscopic auriculate lobes obliquely ovate, other lobes nearly oblong, margins mostly sparsely toothed, apices acute and shortly spinulose; microscales on abaxial surface light brown or grayish brown, lanceolate or subulate-lanceolate, membranous, entire; microscales on adaxial surface sparser, along midrib, brown, linear, margins entire; frond texture thinly leathery; venation bipinnate on pinnae, slightly visible abaxially, distinct adaxially, veinlets simple or forked. Sori abaxial on veinlets, close to pinna midrib, often in 1 row on each side of midrib, sometimes in 2 rows on each side of midrib of basal part of pinna, often in 1-3 rows on auricles and auriculate lobes; indusia present, brown when mature, membranous, centers concave, erose or shallowly lacerate.

● Forests, shrubs at forest margins; 2400-2900 m. W Sichuan (Kangding, Luding, Shimian).

The phylogenetic position of Polystichum setillosum is unclear. It is tentatively placed here.