稀羽凤尾蕨 xi yu feng wei jue

Plants ca. 1 m tall. Rhizome not seen. Stipe reddish brown at base, ca. 55 cm, ca. 3 mm in diam., stipe and rachis brown-straw-colored, slightly lustrous, glabrous; lamina 3-pinnatipartite, with 3 pinnatisect divisions, lateral branches same in shape with central division, oblong-ovate, 38-44 × 20-26 cm; lateral pinnules 4-6 pairs, opposite or nearly opposite, oblique, sessile, median pinnules linear-lanceolate, 16-20 × 2.5-3.2 cm, base broadly cuneate, pectinately divided nearly to costae, apex linear, apical pinnules same as lateral ones in shape and size, but with stalks 1-1.5 cm; segments 22-28 pairs, alternate, slightly oblique, oblong to linear-oblong, 1-2 cm × 3-4 mm, slightly enlarged at base, margin entire, apex blunt; lamina yellowish green, herbaceous when dried, glabrous; costae abaxially prominent, adaxially grooved, with needlelike setae along groove; main veins sparsely spiny, spines sometimes poorly developed; veins free, conspicuous on both surfaces, oblique, 2-forked from base, veins at segment base oblique, reaching margin of sinus.

● Forested canyons. N Guizhou (Chishui).

Pteris paucipinnula is most similar to P. longipes but has only 4-6 pairs of lateral pinnae with entire sterile margins.