楔基耳蕨 xie ji er jue

Polystichum cuneatum Ching ex P. S. Wang, Guizhou Sci. 12(2): 56. 1994, not Nakaike (1978).

Plants evergreen. Rhizome erect, short, rhizome apex and stipe base scaly; scales opening, brown, ovate, thick in texture, margins fimbriate, apices caudate-acuminate. Fronds 13-28 cm; stipe 2-12 cm, ca. 1 mm in diam. at base, distal stipe scales sparse, similar to basal stipe scales but smaller, thick in texture, margins fimbriate. Lamina lanceolate or deltoid-lanceolate, 6-17 × 2.5-5 cm, base not contracted or even slightly broad, bipinnatipartite to bipinnate or base bipinnate, apex acuminate; rachis without proliferous bulbils. Pinnae 10-15 pairs, shortly stalked, slightly ascendant, oblong-ovate and falcate, lower pinnae below middle of lamina 1.5-2.5 × 7-10 mm at base, bases asymmetrical, basiscopic margins rounded-cuneate, acroscopic margins truncate, pinnatisect to pinnate, apices acute. Pinnules and lobes adjacent to one another or imbricate, obovate or elliptic, basal acroscopic pinnules largest and pinnatilobate to pinnatipartite, other pinnules or lobes mostly entire apically or with only 1 shallow obtuse tooth, rarely forked-toothed or with 3 or 4 shallow lobes at apex; adaxially glabrous, abaxially sparsely scaly; microscales appressed, brown, broadly ovate-lanceolate, membranous, margins fimbriate; frond texture papery to thinly papery; venation pinnate, slightly distinct on both surfaces, veinlets simple or dichotomous on lobes. Sori small, terminal on veinlets, often 1 per pinnule or lobe; indusia present, brown, sparsely toothed.

● Limestone crevices in karst caves; ca. 1200 m. C Guizhou (Ziyun).

Polystichum cuneatiforme is similar to P. martinii, but its basal pinnae are not contracted and its pinnules and scales are densely arranged or imbricate.