华中茯蕨 hua zhong fu jue

Plants 30-35 cm tall. Rhizomes short and erect, including stipe bases with sparse broadly lanceolate hairy scales and acicular short hairs. Fronds clustered; stipes 8-14 cm, deep stramineous, above bases with dense short hairs and mixed with few acicular long hairs; laminae lanceolate, 18-24 × ca. 6 cm, 1-pinnate, acuminate at apices; pinnae 14-16 pairs, alternate, spreading, sessile, proximal pair not shortened and of similar shape and size as distal ones, proximal 2 pairs free, distal ones ± adnate to rachises; middle ones broadly lanceolate, 3-3.5 × ca. 1 cm, bases truncate, symmetrical (proximal pair of pinnae slightly broad and basal basiscopic one cuneate), pinnatifid to 1/2 of distance to costae, apices shortly acuminate; segments 7 or 8 pairs, broadly ovate, entire, separated by obtriangular sinuses. Veins evident, (3 or)4 pairs of veinlets per segment, proximal pair (basiscopic veinlet) arising from bases of costae and all reaching margins above sinuses. Laminae herbaceous, when dry greenish, adaxially throughout with appressed acicular hairs, abaxially pubescent along costae and costules and with acicular short hairs along rachises. Sori orbicular or oblong, attached on middle of veinlets. Sporangia subglabrous.

● Wet places in open forests. W Hubei.