高山耳蕨 gao shan er jue

Aspidium otophorum Franchet, Nouv. Arch. Mus. Hist. Nat., sér. 2, 10: 116. 1887.

Plants evergreen. Rhizome erect, densely scaly; scales light brown, narrowly ovate. Fronds 15-30 cm; stipe stramineous, 3-9 cm, ca. 2 mm in diam. at base, lower part densely covered with narrowly ovate and lanceolate brown scales, gradually sparser toward lamina apex, scale base ciliate. Lamina 1-pinnate, lanceolate or linear-lanceolate, 15-26 × 2.5-3.2 cm, base rounded-truncate, apex long acuminate; rachis without proliferous bulbils, scaly abaxially; scales brown, linear, ± curved, bases dilated and ciliate. Pinnae 28-36 pairs, alternate, attached at right angles to rachis, several lower pairs sometimes ascendant, shortly stalked, narrowly ovate or ovate, middle pairs 1.2-1.6 cm × 5-8 mm, acroscopic bases with 1 free pinnule, sometimes basiscopic bases also with 1 smaller pinnule, apex acute and spinulose. Pinnules obovate or rhombic, abaxially with few filiform yellowish brown microscales; frond texture thinly leathery; venation pinnate, lateral veins forked or twice dichotomously branched, slightly raised on both surfaces. Sori in 1 row on each side of midrib, close to pinna margin; indusia present, entire.

● Broad-leaved evergreen forests; 1100-2600 m. W Sichuan.