荔波耳蕨 li bo er jue

Plants evergreen. Rhizome ascending, ca. 0.8 cm, densely covered with scales; scales bicolorous, brown and blackish brown, lanceolate. Fronds ca. 7 per rhizome, 7-12 cm; stipe stramineous, 1.5-3 cm, ca. 0.6 mm in diam. at middle; basal stipe scales brown and blackish brown, shiny, lanceolate, papery, toothed, acuminate or caudate; distal stipe scales similar but narrower and shorter, varying in size, brown, shiny, lanceolate, papery, regularly toothed, caudate. Lamina 1-pinnate, shiny adaxially, lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, 6.5-10 × 1.2-1.6 cm at middle, slightly contracted toward base, acuminate; rachis ca. 0.5 mm in diam. at middle, without proliferous bulbils; rachis scales brown, dull, ovate, varying in size, papery, margins ciliate, apices caudate. Pinnae 12-15 pairs, approximate, spreading except reflexed in lowest pairs, basal two pairs ca. 4 mm apart, alternate, nearly rectangular, middle (largest) pinnae up to 9 × 4 mm, shortly stalked, proximal margins parallel with rachis, acroscopic base auriculate, auricles obtuse, basiscopic base cuneate and often forming an 80°-120° angle with rachis, apices obtuse, acroscopic margin with 3-5 slightly forward pointing obtuse teeth; abaxially scaly, adaxially glabrous; microscales on abaxial surface subulate or linear (narrow-type microscales); frond texture papery; venation pinnate; midrib abaxially slightly raised, adaxially flat; lateral veins free, 2 or 3 pairs from midrib per pinna, alternate, each lateral vein again dichotomous or not, abaxially clavate and unusually swollen at ends (hydathodes), adaxially indistinct. Sori terminal on veins of upper pinnae, 1-3 above midrib and none or 1 below midrib, close to pinna margin; indusia brown, repand or shallowly toothed.

● Limestone rocks in dense forests; ca. 1000 m. S Guizhou (Libo).