(description and distribution as for only genus)
剑蕨属 jian jue shu
Rhizome very short to long-creeping, occasionally branching; roots forming a spongy mass; scales clathrate, uniformly orange-brown to blackish, entire, elongate, basifixed. Articulation between phyllopodium and frond none, or evident but not functional, or functional. Entire plant, except for roots, lacking sclerenchyma. Lamina simple, monomorphic to dimorphic, linear, narrowly elliptic, oblanceolate, or spatulate to orbicular, entire, thinly to thickly papery, margin not cartilaginous, drying revolute or involute. Lamina surface glabrous except for minute 2-celled clavate glandular hairs. Veins regularly anastomosing with many, few, or without free included veinlets; hydathodes absent. Sori exindusiate, elongate, oblique or nearly parallel to costa, discrete, paraphyses muticellular, hairlike. Sporangial stalk 1- or 2-celled at base; annulus with 1216 indurate cells. Spores greenish (at time of dispersal), globose-trilete, or ellipsoidal-monolete, surface finely verrucose. n = 35, 36. [??x]
About 33 species: pantropical, mainly in tropical Asia, one in Central America, one in Pacific islands, four in Africa; 12 species (one endemic) in China, south of the Tsinling (Qinling) Mountains.
Epiphytic or epilithic in wet forests, Holttum (where? [??citation] 1955) suggests the lack of articulation causes the fleshy nature of fronds; the fronds curl up in dry weather.
Molecular data consistently indicate that Loxogramme is sister to the rest of the Polypodiaceae.
1a...... Fronds dimorphic, sterile fronds suborbicular or obovate, 0.41 cm long and wide; fertile lamina 13 Χ ca. 0.5 cm 1. L. lankokiensis
1b..... Fronds mostly monomorphic, lamina 360 cm, if dimorphic or subdimorphic then lamina more than 10 cm.
2a...... Fronds 310(20) cm; spores globose-trilete.
3a...... Lamina spatulate, oblanceolate, or linear-lanceolate; sori slightly sunken; rhizome scale margin slightly dentate 2. L. grammitoides
3b..... Lamina lanceolate or oblanceolate; sori superficial; rhizome scale margin entire.
4a. Rhizome thick, short; scales dark brown or black; lamina 12.5 cm wide .......................... 5. L. assimilis
4b..... Rhizome slender, long creeping; scales usually pale brown to brown; lamina 0.31 cm wide.
5a...... Lamina 510(20) Χ 0.51 cm .............................................................................................. 3. L. chinensis
5b..... Lamina 36 Χ 0.30.4 cm .................................................................................................... 4. L. acroscopa
2b..... Fronds 2035 cm; spores ellipsoidal-monolete.
6b..... Rhizome long creeping, slender; fronds distant; stipe distinct, 25(10) cm.
7a. Base of stipe greenish yellow or paler ................................................................................ 11. L. salicifolia
7b..... Base of stipe glossy purplish dark brown or black .................................................... 12. L. duclouxii
6a...... Rhizome short, thick, erect or creeping; fronds closely spaced or in tufts; stipe indistinct, or very short and winged.
8a. Scales thick, somewhat opaque; cells small, dense; paraphyses absent ....................... 6. L. formosana
8b..... Scales thin, transparent, cells larger; paraphyses present, usually many, dense (sparse in L. cuspidata).
9a...... Scale cells about as long as wide [need to check L. avenia].
10a.... Costa distinctly raised on adaxial surface; scales lanceolate, dark brown, 0.51.2 mm wide; sori 12 cm 7. L. avenia
10b... Costa not so distinctly raised on adaxial surface; scales ± triangular, grayish brown. ca. 4 mm wide; sori 34 cm ............................................................................................................................................... 8. L. involuta
9b..... Scale cells longer than wide.
11a.... Paraphyses
few, sparse; costa raised adaxially, distinct but not raised abaxially
............................................................................................................................................ 9.
L. cuspidata
11b... Paraphyses many, dense; midrib flat adaxially, raised abaxially ................................ 10. L. porcata
老街剑蕨 lao jie jian jue
Polypodium lankokiense Rosenstock, Meded. Rijks-Herb. 5: 31[??31: 5]. 1917.
Rhizome long-creeping, slender, ca. 0.5 mm in diam., densely scaly throughout; scales dark brown, thin, distinctly clathrate, lanceolate, ca. 2 Χ 0.5 mm, margin entire. Fronds distant, dimorphic; sterile fronds: stipe short, ca. 2 mm, fleshy, entire at margin; lamina suborbicular or obovate, 0.41 cm long and wide; fertile fronds: lamina oblanceolate, 13 Χ ca. 0.5 cm, widest at apex, narrowed at base, base decurrent to 2 mm from stipe base, margin of lamina narrowly involute, apex obtuse-acute; costae distinct abaxially; veins quite invisible. Sori 2 or 3 pairs on upper part of lamina, oblong, oblique, slightly sunken into lamina, paraphyses absent. Spores globose-trilete.
Epilithic on moss-covered rocks in forested valleys; 9001400 m. Guangdong, SE Xizang, Yunnan [N Thailand, Vietnam].
Loxogramme lankokiensis is one of the smallest plants in the genus, and has dimorphic fronds. A similar species, L. conferta Copeland is distributed in the Philippines and Borneo, but has different rhizome scale characters.
匙叶剑蕨 chi ye jian jue
Gymnogramma grammitoides Baker, J. Bot. 27: 178. 1889; Loxogramme yigongensis Ching & S. K. Wu.
Rhizome long-creeping, slender, less than 1 mm in diam., densely scaly throughout; scales dark brown, clathrate, lanceolate, margin slightly dentate. Fronds closely spaced or distant, monomorphic; stipe very short or indistinct, green; lamina spatulate, oblanceolate, obovate, or linear-lanceolate, 410 Χ 0.41 cm, base decurrent, apex acute or obtuse; costae raised on both sides, veins hidden, areolae narrow, oblique, without free veinlets; lamina deep green, often glossy, paler abaxially, papery, glabrous. Sori 25 pairs along upper part of lamina, oblong, 0.31.5 cm, oblique to ± parallel to costa in narrowly fronded form, slightly sunken into lamina, paraphyses absent. Spores globose-trilete.
Epilithic or epiphytic in evergreen broad-leaved forests. Anhui, Chongqing, Fujian, Gansu, Guizhou, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Taiwan, Xizang, Yunnan, Zhejiang [Japan].
中华剑蕨 zhong hua jian jue
Loxogramme confertifolia Tagawa; L. fujiansis Ching.
Rhizome long-creeping, slender, 11.5(2) mm in diam., densely scaly throughout; scales pale brown to dark brown, clathrate, lanceolate, (1.5)35 Χ ca. 1 mm wide at base, margin subentire. Fronds closely spaced or distant, monomorphic; stipe short, pale green, narrowly winged to very base, densely scaly at base; lamina yellow-green, spatulate, oblanceolate, or linear-lanceolate, 512(20) Χ 0.51.2 cm, thickly papery, glabrous, base decurrent, margin slightly undulate and involute when dry, apex acute; costa raised on both sides, veins hidden. Sori 58 pairs from middle to upper part of lamina, oblong, very oblique, nearly parallel to costa, superficial, paraphyses absent. Spores globose-trilete.
Epilithic on moss-covered rocks or epiphytic in evergreen broad-leaved forests. Anhui, Chongqing, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hunan, Jiangxi, Sichuan, Taiwan, Xizang, Yunnan, Zhejiang [Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, Vietnam].
顶生剑蕨 ding sheng jian jue
Polypodium acroscopum H. Christ, J. Bot. 9: 75. 1905.
Rhizome creeping, slender; scales pale brown, lanceolate, margin entire, cells longer than width. Fronds distant, monomorphic; stipe slender, 23 cm; lamina linear-lanceolate, 46 Χ 0.30.4 cm, base decurrent to a winged stipe, apex bluntly acute; texture thin; costa raised adaxially, veins hidden. Sori 35 pairs, linear, very oblique, nearly parallel to costa, superficial, paraphyses absent. Spores globose-trilete.
On wet rocks by streams, possibly a seasonal rheophyte; 200500 m. S Guizhou, SE Yunnan [N Vietnam].
Loxogramme acroscopa is similar to L. chinensis in characters of scales and spores, and so might be an ecological form of the latter.
黑鳞剑蕨 hei lin jian jue
Rhizome short to moderately creeping, densely scaly throughout; scales dark brown or black, linear-lanceolate, ca. 5 Χ 2 mm, margin entire. Fronds closely spaced or distant, monomorphic; stipe short or frond subsessile, pale green, narrowly winged to very base, densely scaly at base; lamina abaxially yellow-green, adaxially deep green, linear-elliptic, 1015(25) Χ 12.5 cm, widest at middle, thickly papery, both surfaces glabrous, base decurrent, apex acuminate or acute; costae not distinctly raised on both sides; veins hidden. Sori oblong, oblique, closer to frond margin than costa, superficial, paraphyses absent. Spores globose-trilete.
Epilithic on moss-covered rocks or epiphytic in evergreen broad-leaved forests; 6002200 m. Chongqing, Guangxi, Guizhou, Sichuan, SE Yunnan [N Vietnam].
台湾剑蕨 tai wan jian jue
Loxogramme ensiformis Ching; L. grandis Ching & Z. Y. Liu (1984), not Copeland (1908).
Rhizome short, erect, densely scaly; scales pale brown, broadly ovate, ca. 5 Χ 2.5 mm, margin entire, apex acuminate; cells small, dense. Fronds in tufts, monomorphic; stipe short, thick, abaxially glossy brown or purplish, 13 cm, flattened; lamina abaxially paler, adaxially deep green, oblanceolate, 2035 Χ 33.5 cm, widest at upper 2/3, leathery, thick and fleshy, glabrous, base decurrent on stipe, apex acuminate; costa slightly raised on both surfaces; veins invisible, anastomosing to form elongated areoles with included veinlets. Sori confined to upper half of fronds, oblique, rather close to costa, ± sunken into lamina, paraphyses absent. Spores ellipsoidal-monolete.
* Epilithic on moss-covered rocks or epiphytic in evergreen broad-leaved forests. Chongqing, Guizhou, Sichuan, Taiwan, S Yunnan.
剑蕨 jian jue
Grammitis avenia Blume, Enum. Pl. Javae 2: 117. 1828.
Rhizome shortly creeping, more than 3 mm in diam., densely scaly near apex and at base of stipes; scales dark brown, lanceolate, 510 Χ 0.51.2 mm, margin entire. Fronds in tufts, monomorphic; stipes indistinct, dark castaneous when dry; lamina abaxially paler, adaxially green, lanceolate, 1525 Χ 12.5 cm or more, broadest at middle to upper portion, narrowed below, thick and leathery, fleshy, abaxial surface with sparse brown, 2-celled glandular hairs, adaxially glabrous, base decurrent to 2 on upper 5 mm from base of stipe, margin recurved, apex acuminate; costae distinctly raised [??on adaxial] surface, hardly [??visible] abaxially, pale green to brown; veins hardly visible on both surfaces, forming copious anastomosis[??]. Sori 820 pairs, linear, 12 cm, 34 mm apart, oblique, continuous in middle between costa and margin of frond, slightly sunken into lamina; paraphyses many, dense, longer than sporangia, completely covering sori initially. Spores ellipsoidal-monolete.
Epilithic on moss-covered rocks or epiphytic on tree trunks in dense evergreen forests beside streams at low elevations. Yunnan (Tengchong) [Indonesia (Java), Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam].
Loxogramme avenia is very similar to L. involuta (D. Don) C. Presl and L. cuspidata (Zenker) M. G. Price, but differs in the smaller, dark brown scales and from the latter by the abundant paraphyses.
内卷剑蕨 nei juan jian jue
Grammitis involuta D. Don, Prodr. Fl. Nepal. 14. 1825.
Rhizome short, ascending to creeping, ca. 1.5 mm in diam., densely scaly; scales grayish brown, ± triangular, up to 7 Χ 4 mm, thin, margin entire, apex acuminate; cells dense, as long as wide. Fronds in apical tuft, monomorphic; stipe indistinct, or very short and winged; lamina abaxially paler, adaxially deep green, lanceolate, up to 35 Χ 4 cm, base attenuate and decurrent into stipe, apex caudate-acuminate; costae ± raised abaxially, usually flat adaxially, straw-colored or pale green; veins all hidden, anastomosing with free included veinlets; lamina curled up when dry, texture thick and fleshy, glabrous on both surfaces. Sori linear, 34 cm, very oblique, well spaced, continuous from near costa to frond margin, superficial; paraphyses many, dense, longer than sporangia. Spores ellipsoidal-monolete.
Epilithic on moss-covered rocks or epiphytic on tree trunks in evergreen broad-leaved forests; 20002500 m. S Xizang, W Yunnan [Nepal, India, N Thailand, Vietnam].
西藏剑蕨 xizang jian jue
Grammitis cuspidata Zenker, Pl. Ind. 1: t. 2. 1835; Loxogramme tibetica Ching & S. K. Wu.
Rhizome shortly to moderately creeping, densely scaly; scales dark brown, lanceolate, margin entire, apex long acuminate; cells dense, longer than wide. Fronds closely spaced, monomorphic; stipe narrowly winged; lamina abaxially paler, adaxially green, lanceolate, 3540 Χ 3 cm, widest at upper 1/3, narrowed from middle downward, thick and fleshy, curled up when dry, glabrous, attenuate at base and decurrent into stipe, apex acuminate or caudate; costa raised on adaxial surface, distinct but not raised abaxially, straw colored or pale green; veins hidden, anastomosing with free included veinlets. Sori linear, up to 2.5 cm, oblique, continuous from near costa to margin of frond, superficial; paraphyses few, sparse. Spores ellipsoidal-monolete.
Epilithic on moss-covered rocks or epiphytic on tree trunks in evergreen broad-leaved forests; 20003500 m. Sichuan, Xizang, Yunnan [India].
Loxogramme cuspidata is very similar to L. involuta but has smaller rhizome scales, which differ further in color (dark brown, not grayish brown, texture, and cell shape (longer than wide, not isodiametric).
nothing in description here, ?thicker than L. involuta
拟内卷剑蕨 ni nei juan jian jue
Rhizome shortly creeping, densely scaly; scales grayish brown to dark brown, thin, linear-lanceolate, 510 Χ 0.51.2 mm, margin entire, apex acuminate; cells longer than wide. Fronds closely spaced, monomorphic; stipe indistinct, or very short and narrowly winged; lamina abaxially paler, adaxially deep green, narrowly elliptic to oblanceolate, 1060 Χ 0.86 cm, thick and fleshy, curled up when dry, glabrous, base attenuate and decurrent on to stipe, apex long acuminate; costa raised abaxially, flat adaxially, straw colored or pale green; veins hidden, anastomosing with free included veinlets. Sori linear, up to 6 cm, very oblique, well spaced, continuous from near costa to margin of frond, superficial; paraphyses many, dense, soft, longer than sporangia, completely covering sori at early stage. Spores ellipsoidal-monolete.
Epiphytic on tree trunks in evergreen broad-leaved forests; 12001800 m. SE Xizang, S and W Yunnan [India, Myanmar, Nepal, N Thailand].
Loxogramme porcata is very similar to the sympatric L. involuta, since both develop abundant paraphyses, but differ in their rhizome scales, which are 0.51.2 mm wide with elongated cells in L. porcata and paler in color, ca. 4 mm wide with ± isodiametric cells in L. involuta.
柳叶剑蕨 liu ye jian jue
Gymnogramme salicifolia Makino, Phan. Pterid. Jap. Icon. Ill. pl. 34. 1899; Loxogramme biformis Tagawa; L. fauriei Copeland.
Rhizome long creeping, ca. 2 mm in diam., rather densely scaly; scales brown or reddish brown, ovate-lanceolate, margin entire, apex acuminate. Fronds distant, subdimorphic or obviously dimorphic, 1535 cm; stipe greenish yellow to paler, 25(10) cm, or frond subsessile; lamina narrowly oblanceolate to linear, 1520(32) Χ 11.5(3) cm, relatively thinly textured, fleshy, base decurrent to form wings along upper part of stipe, apex acuminate; costae raised on adaxial surface, plane abaxially; veins hidden, areoles without or with few included veinlets. Sori on upper portion of fronds, up to 10 or more pairs, 13 cm, very oblique to nearly parallel to costa, medial between costa and frond margin, slightly sunken into lamina, paraphyses absent. Spores ellipsoidal-monolete.
Epilithic on moss-covered rocks or epiphytic on tree trunks in forests; 2001200 m. Anhui, Chongqing, Gansu, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Sichuan, Taiwan, Zhejiang [Japan, Korea (Cheju Island), ?Vietnam].
Loxogramme salicifolia is similar to the sympatric species, L. duclouxii, but differs in the stipe not glossy black, and sori line not very [??].
Loxogramme salicifolia is almost sympatric with the following species, L. duclouxii, but it is not found in Yunnan and differs by the greenish yellow or paler stipe (not glossy purplish dark brown or black) and the sori medial between costa and margin (not close to the costa). Loxogramme salicifolia is a low elevation species not found on the high plateau of Yunnan and Xizang. The report by Christensen (1931 [??citation]) from Yunnan should be L. cuspidata; and the recent report by Chen (2005[??citation]) from Yunnan might be confused with L. duclouxii or L. cuspidata.
褐柄剑蕨 he bing jian jue
Loxogramme remote-frondigera Hayata; L. saziran Tagawa ex M. G. Price.
Rhizome long-creeping, 11.6(3) mm in diam., dark brown to black, sometimes smooth when scales fall; scales dark brown to black, distinctly clathrate, subulate or ovate-lanceolate, 11.8 Χ 0.50.7 mm, margin entire. Fronds subdimorphic, or sometimes obviously dimorphic, closely spaced or distant, stipe on obvious 12 mm phyllopodia; phyllopodia long; stipe up to 7 cm, glossy purplish dark brown or black when dry; base with scales ovate, 34 Χ 0.91.6 mm, apex acute; lamina abaxially paler, adaxially deep green, linear-oblanceolate, 1035 Χ 1.52.5(3.5) cm, leathery, thick and fleshy, glabrous, base decurrent on to stipe, margin involute when dry, apex acuminate or caudate; costae raised on adaxial surface, abaxially slightly distinct and flattened; veins invisible, anastomosing to form elongate areoles usually with included veinlets. Sori confined to upper half of fronds, 10 or more pairs, 0.51.2 cm, usually close together, oblique, rather close to costa, ± sunken into lamina, paraphyses absent or few and short, shorter than sporangia. Spores ellipsoidal-monolete.
Epilithic on moss-covered rocks or epiphytic in evergreen broad-leaved forests; 8002500 m. Anhui, Chongqing, Gansu, Guangxi, Guizhou, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Taiwan, Yunnan, Zhejiang [NE India, Japan, Korea (Cheju Island), Thailand, N Vietnam].
Loxogramme duclouxii is similar to the sympatric species, L. salicifolia, but differs in the distinctive glossy black stipe and sori rather close to the costa.