乌毛蕨科 wu mao jue ke
Wang Faguo (王发国)[1], Xing Fuwu (邢福武)1; Masahiro Kato[2]
Ferns, mostly terrestrial, sometimes tree ferns (like small trees). Rhizome mostly erect, or creeping or scandent, dictyostelic, with brown, entire scales. Fronds uniform or dimorphic, mostly long-stipitate, stipe with 2 to several bundles, scaly at base; lamina pinnate, pinnatifid, or bipinnatifid, rarely simple, thickly papery to leathery, glabrous or usually small-scaly; veins free or anastomosing with one or more series of areoles, without included free veinlets. Sori elongate or continuous along vascular network or commissure on either side of midrib; indusium facing toward costa or midrib, rarely exindusiate, annulus longitudinal, interrupted; spores elliptic, bilateral, monolete.
A family of 13 genera worldwide, with ca. 240 species; seven genera and 12 species in China [??#endemic].
A natural generic classification of the family should be based on molecular phylogenetic relationships and comparative morphology because published and unpublished molecular data do not support the conventional classifications (e.g., Fl. Reipubl. Popularis Sin. 4(2). 1999; the system adopted here).
1a. Tree ferns with trunklike stem, up to ca. 1 m tall.
2a. Stem 12 cm in diam.; lamina bipinnatifid; sori
indusiate, discrete
................................................................................................................ 7.
Diploblechnum
2b. Stem 1015 cm in diam.; lamina pinnate; sori exindusiate, covering pinna surface .. 3. Brainea
1b. Rhizome creeping to suberect; plants not like tree ferns.
3a. Sori discrete.
4a. Rhizome creeping; stipes distant; pinnae accrete, conjoined by narrow wing along rachis .. 5. Chieniopteris
4b. Rhizome short and erect; stipes tufted; pinnae separate .............................. 4. Woodwardia
3b. Sori continuous.
5a. Plants epiphytic or lithophytic; veins anastomosing ...................................... 2. Blechnidium
5b. Plants terrestrial; veins free.
6a. Lamina monomorphic, lamina marginal sori prominent .................................. 1. Blechnum
6b. Lamina dimorphic, lamina marginal sori much reduced ........................... 6. Struthiopteris
乌毛蕨属 wu mao jue shu
Plants terrestrial, moderate-sized or large. Rhizome stout, usually erect or ascending, dictyostelic, densely scaly; scales dark brown, glossy, lanceolate, entire, basally attached. Fronds clustered, long-stipitate; stipe robust, scaly at base, above naked; lamina pinnate, with many reduced auricular pinnae, leathery; pinnae linear, margin entire or serrulate; veins free, parallel, simple or forked. Sori long, linear, adjacent and parallel to costa, coenosori; indusium attached to commissure, facing toward costa; annulus longitudinal, interrupted, of 1428 cells. Spores elliptic, usually smooth, with perispore.
About 35 species: pantropical; one species in China.
In an unpublished molecular phylogeny, Blechnum orientale is not included in the genus Struthiopteris s. str. represented by B. occidentale (type) and relatives.
乌毛蕨 wu mao jue
Rhizome erect, dark brown, short, densely covered with scales; scales dark brown at center, brown near margin, narrowly linear, ca. 1 cm, entire. Stipes tufted, 1060 cm, 310 mm in diam., base dark brown and covered with scales as rhizome; lamina imparipinnate, monomorphic, ovate-lanceolate, 55100 Χ 2060 cm, subleathery; pinnae numerous, close, alternate; lower ones contracted to small round auricles, 0.31 cm; upper ones oblique, distant, linear or linear-lanceolate, 1030 Χ 0.81.8 cm, base sessile, rounded or subtruncate, or adnate, decurrent to rachis on basiscopic side, gradually narrowed to acuminate apex, terminal pinna similar to middle pinnae; veins free, parallel, simple or forked near costa, close. 2n = 66.
Exposed shrubby or low hillsides; 2001000 m. Chongqing, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hainan, Hunan, Jiangxi, Sichuan, Taiwan, Xizang, Yunnan, Zhejiang [Japan; tropical Asia, Australia, Pacific islands].
1a. Apex of lateral pinnae entire or slightly undulate ................................................. 1a. var. orientale
1b. Apex of lateral pinnae cristate .......................................................................... 1b. var. cristatum
乌毛蕨(原变种) wu mao jue (yuan bian zhong)
Blechnopsis orientalis (Linnaeus) C. Presl.
Apex of lateral pinnae entire or slightly undulate.
Exposed shrubby or low hillsides; 2001000 m. Chongqing, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hainan, Hunan, Jiangxi, Sichuan, Taiwan, Xizang, Yunnan, Zhejiang [Japan; tropical Asia, Australia, Pacific islands].
冠羽乌毛蕨 guan yu wu mao jue
A monstrous form with cristate apex of lateral pinnae.
* Guangdong.
乌木蕨属 wu mu jue shu
Plants epiphytic, small to moderate-sized. Rhizome creeping, dark brown, densely covered with lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate, rufous scales. Fronds distant, long-stipitate; stipe dark brown, grooved above, sparsely scaly at base; lamina brownish green when dry, lanceolate, subleathery, both surfaces glabrous, pectinate; pinnae adnate, oblong, margin entire, apex subacute or obtuse; lower few pairs of pinnae shortened; veins anastomosing with 13 rows of areoles. Sori linear, adjacent and parallel to costa; indusium attached to commissure, facing toward costa. Spores elliptic, with perispore.
One species in India, Myanmar, and China.
This monotypic genus is the most closely related to Struthiopteris and isolated from the rest.
乌木蕨 wu mu jue
Blechnum melanopus Hooker, Sp. Fil. 3: 64. 1860[??1859]; Blechnidium plagiogyriifrons Hayata; Blechnum plagiogyriifrons Hayata.
Rhizome dark brown, long-creeping, ca. 3 mm in diam., densely scaly; scales rufous, lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, ca. 5 mm, membranous, subentire, acuminate or fibriform. Fronds distant, long-stipitate; stipe dark brown, 1225 cm, ca. 1 mm in diam., grooved above, sparsely scaly at base; lamina brownish green when dry, lanceolate, 1525 Χ 37 cm, subleathery, both surfaces glabrous, gradually narrowed to base, pectinate, acuminate; pinnae 1525 pairs, adnate; middle ones oblong, usually subfalcate, 1.55 Χ 0.51 cm, entire, subacute or obtuse; lower pinnae shortened, 0.41.3 cm; veins inconspicuous, anastomosing with 13 rows of hexagonal areoles. Sori linear, adjacent and parallel to costa; indusium attached to commissure, linear, facing toward costa. Spores elliptic, with perispore.
Epiphytic on tree trunks or rocks in forests; 16002800 m. Taiwan, Yunnan [India, Myanmar].
苏铁蕨属 su tie jue shu
Tree ferns, terrestrial. Rhizome[??Stem] erect, blackish brown, stout, up to ca. 1 m tall, 1015 cm in diam., woody, apex scaly; scales rufous, linear, up to 3 cm, membranous, acuminate. Fronds clustered in terminal crown, slightly dimorphic; stipe brownish stramineous, 1030 cm, basal part scaly; lamina pinnate, elliptic-lanceolate, 50100 cm, slightly narrowed downward, leathery, abaxially with some small scales along costa and veins; pinnae 3055 pairs, opposite or alternate, subsessile, linear to narrowly oblong; middle pinnae 1015 Χ 0.71.2 cm, base asymmetrical, subauriculate, margin serrulate; basal pinnae slightly shortened; veins free, simple or 1- or 2-forked, except for costal row of areolae nearly triangular; fertile pinnae somewhat shorter, margin sometimes irregularly lobed; rachis stramineous, grooved above. Sori borne on costal veins, exindusiate, abundant, covering whole abaxial surface of pinnae when mature. 2n = 66.
One species: widely distributed in tropical Asia.
The monotypic genus Brainea is isolated from the rest.
苏铁蕨 su tie jue
Browningia insignis Hooker, J. Bot. 5: 237. 1853; Brainea formosana Hayata; B. insignis var. formosana (Hayata) Tagawa.
Characters for this species are the same as in the genus.
Moist[??wet or damp] and exposed hillsides; 3001700 m. Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Taiwan, Yunnan [tropical regions of Asia].
狗脊属 gou ji shu
Plants terrestrial, of moderate to large size. Rhizome erect or ascending, sometimes creeping, stout, dictyostelic, densely scaly; scales brown, non-clathrate, basally attached. Stipes tufted; lamina deeply bipinnatifid, elliptic, papery or subleathery, long-stipitate; pinnae narrowly oblong, gradually narrowed to narrowly deltoid-ovate, sometimes stalked, firm, glabrous, margin entire or serrulate; veins anastomosing with a series of areoles along costae and costules, free to margin, simple or forked. Sori occupying costular areoles, discrete, linear or elliptic, attached to outer veins forming areoles, superficial or sunken; indusia facing toward costa, dark brown, thickly papery; sporangia with long stalk, annulus of 1724 thickened cells. Spores elliptic, perispore rugose.
About 10 species: distributed in temperate to tropical areas in Asia, Europe, and America [??North and South]; five species in China.
1a. Rachis with large subterminal bulbils on rachis ............................................ 1. W. unigemmata
1b. Rachis without such bulbils.
2a. Base of lower pinnae asymmetrical, 13 basiscopic lobes lacking; sori sunken, oblong.
3a. Lamina 3545 cm; 1 basiscopic basal pinna-lobe lacking; lobes acute or acuminate 2. W. orientalis
3b. Lamina 30120 cm; 13 basiscopic basal pinna-lobes lacking; lobes acuminate or caudate 3. W. prolifera
2b. Base of lower pinnae symmetrical, basal pairs of lobes contracted or not; sori not sunken, linear.
4a. Basal basiscopic lobe of lower pinnae contracted, apex obtuse ................... 4. W. japonica
4b. Basal basiscopic lobe of lower pinnae slightly contracted, lanceolate, apex acute 5. W. magnifica
顶芽狗脊 ding ya gou ji
Woodwardia radicans (Linnaeus) Smith var. unigemmata Makino, J. Jap. Bot. 2(2): 7. 1918; W. himalaica Ching & S. K. Wu; W. latiloba Ching & P. S. Chiu; W. maxima Ching; W. yunnanensis Ching & P. S. Chiu.
Rhizome decumbent, dark brown, stout, up to 3 cm in diam., densely scaly; scales brown, lanceolate, 2.22.7 cm, membranous, entire, long acuminate. Stipes tufted, 30100 cm, 58 mm in diam., base densely scaly; upper part of stipe and rachis with fewer brown, fibriform scales; lamina deeply bipinnatifid, elliptic or ovate-lanceolate, 30100 Χ 2060 cm, leathery; pinnae 715 pairs, subsessile or shortly stalked, broadly lanceolate; middle pinnae 1535 Χ 412 cm, base rounded-truncate, unequal, caudate, cut 3/4 way to costa; lobes 1420 pairs, oblique, close, oblong-lanceolate, sometimes falcate, lower pairs of lobes slightly shortened, middle lobes 16 cm Χ 812 mm at base, margin serrulate with sharp, long teeth. Veins anastomosing with 2 or 3 rows of areoles along costae and costules, marginally free, simple or forked. Bulbils single or multiple, large, scaly, subterminal below rachis tip at base of upper pinna. Sori occupying costular areoles, oblong, sunken in rimmed depressions; indusia attached to outer vein, dark brown, thickly membranous. 2n = 68.
In shrubs by roadsides, forests; 4003000 m. Fujian, Gansu, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Shanxi, Sichuan, Taiwan, Xizang, Yunnan [Bhutan, India, Japan, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Vietnam].
东方狗脊 dong fang gou ji
Rhizome decumbent, dark brown, stout, densely scaly; scales dark brown, lanceolate, 14 cm, entire, membranous, apex fibriform. Stipes close, 2055 cm, 36 mm in diam., base densely scaly; upper part of stipe and rachis sparsely covered with brown, broadly lanceolate scales; lamina deeply bipinnatifid, brown or slightly green when dry, ovate, 3545(70) Χ 1545 cm, leathery, glabrous, base rounded-truncate, apex acuminate; pinnae 68 pairs, shortly stalked, lanceolate; lower and middle pinnae 1030 Χ 49 cm, base asymmetrical with 1 basiscopic lobe lacking, acuminate, deeply pinnatifid to 23(4) mm from costa, basal pinnae shortened; lobes 1018 pairs, close, oblique, oblong, 35.5(7) cm Χ 810(13) mm, usually broadest at base, margin cuspidately serrulate, apex acute or acuminate; veins obvious, anastomosing to form one row of areoles along costae and 2 or 3 rows of discrete, polygonal areoles, remainder free to margin, simple or forked. Small bulblets borne on adaxial surfaces of pinna-lobes or not. Sori occupying costular areoles, crescent-shaped or elliptic, sunken in rimmed depressions; indusia dark brown, thickly papery. 2n = 136.
Roadsides, mountain slopes; ca. 500 m. Anhui, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hunan, Jiangxi, Taiwan, Zhejiang [Japan, Philippines].
珠芽狗脊 zhu ya gou ji
Woodwardia angustiloba Hance; W. exaltata Nakai; W. orientalis Swartz var. formosana Rosenstock; W. orientalis var. prolifera (Hooker & Arnott) Ching; W. radicans (Linnaeus) Sm.[??author name] var. prolifera [??basionym] C. Christensen.
Rhizome decumbent, dark brown, stout, densely scaly; scales red-brown, lanceolate, 24 cm, membranous, entire or with a few teeth, fibriform. Stipes close, 30110 cm, 315 mm in diam., base densely scaly; upper part of stipe and rachis sparsely covered with brown, broadly lanceolate scales, surface rough with scale scars; lamina deeply bipinnatifid, brown or slightly green when dry, oblong-ovate or elliptic, 35120 Χ 3040 cm, leathery, glabrous, acuminate; pinnae 59(13) pairs, shortly stalked, lanceolate; lower and middle pinnae 1030 Χ 49 cm, base asymmetrical with 13 basiscopic lobes lacking, deeply pinnatifid to 12 mm from costa, long-acuminate or caudate; lobes 1014(24) pairs, close or separate, oblique, oblong-lanceolate, 37(9) cm Χ 59 mm, slightly narrowed to base, margin cuspidately serrulate, occasionally lobed, long acuminate or caudate; veins obvious, anastomosing with one row of areoles along costae and 2 or 3 rows of discrete, polygonal areoles, free distally, simple or forked. Leaf-bearing bulblets small and usually abundant on adaxial surfaces of pinna-lobes. Sori occupying costular areoles, crescent-shaped or elliptic, sunken in rimmed depressions; indusia dark brown, thickly papery. 2n = 68.
Mountain slopes, light[??sunny/open] and wet places in sparse forests, near streams; 1001100 m. Anhui, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hunan, Jiangxi, Taiwan, Zhejiang [Japan].
Herbarium and field observations of Woodwardia prolifera show that there is ecological variation in the frequency of bulblets on the lamina; some mature fronds are not bulbiferous.
狗脊 gou ji
Blechnum japonicum Linnaeus f., Supp. Syst. Veg. 447[??445]. 1781 [1782]; Woodwardia affinis Ching & P. S. Chiu; W. intermedia H. Christ; W. japonica var. contigua Ching & P. S. Chiu; W. omeiensis Ching & P. S. Chiu[??only Ching]; W. rubricaulis Ching & H. S. Kung [??not in Tropicos and IPNI].
Rhizome decumbent, dark brown, stout, 35 cm in diam., densely scaly; scales dark brown, lanceolate or linear-lanceolate, ca. 1.5 cm, membranous, entire, acuminate, sometimes fibriform. Stipes close, 1570 cm, 58 mm in diam., base densely scaly; upper part of stipe and rachis sparsely covered with brown, fibriform scales; lamina bipinnatifid, elliptic or lanceolate, 2585 Χ 1845 cm, leathery, acuminate; pinnae 715 pairs, subsessile or shortly stalked, broadly lanceolate; middle pinnae 1225 Χ 24 cm, base acroscopically truncate, basiscopically rounded, cut 1/2 way to costa, apex acuminate; lobes 1116 pairs, close, oblique, hemielliptic or hemiovate, lowest pair shortened, basiscopic lobe rounded, ovate or auriculate, 510 mm, apex rounded; middle lobes 1.32.2 Χ 0.71 cm, serrulate, acute; veins anastomosing with 2 or 3 rows of areoles along costae and costules, distally free, simple or forked. Sori occupying costular areoles, discrete, linear, sunken; indusia brown. 2n = 68.
Ridges, exposed slopes, shaded forests; 3001500 m. Widely distributed south of the Yangtze River [Japan, Korea, Vietnam].
Woodwardia japonica is variable in the length, number, and arrangement of the pinnae, and the shape of the pinna lobes.
滇南狗脊 dian nan gou ji
Rhizome decumbent, dark brown, stout, densely scaly; scales brown or dark brown, lanceolate, ca. 1.5 cm, membranous, entire, apex fibriform. Stipes close, brown-stramineous, 3576 cm, 610 mm in diam., base densely scaly, sparsely scaly upward; lamina bipinnatifid, brown or brown-green when dry, oblong-ovate, 6095 Χ 3065 cm, leathery, glabrous, long-acuminate; pinnae 1315 pairs, alternate or lower ones opposite, oblique, subsessile or shortly stalked, basal pair slightly shortened; middle ones linear-lanceolate, 3035 Χ 48 cm, base rounded-truncate or rounded-cuneate, pinnatifid, caudate-acuminate; lobes 2022 pairs, alternate, lower ones slightly shortened; middle one longest, lanceolate or narrowly triangular-lanceolate, 2.65 cm, base 11.5 cm wide, serrulate, acute; veins obvious, anastomosing with one row of areoles along rachis, costae, and costules, distally simple or forked, ending in submarginal fusiform hydathodes; rachis or costae densely covered with brown, fibriform, deciduous scales. Sori occupying costular areoles, linear, discrete; indusia dark brown.
Near forests, roadsides; 14001600 m. Yunnan [Vietnam].
祟澍蕨属 chong shu jue shu
Plants terrestrial, of small to moderate size. Rhizome long-creeping, dark brown, apex covered with brown, lanceolate scales. Fronds distant, long-stipitate; lamina simple, trifid, or deeply pinnatifid, thickly papery or subleathery, glabrous; pinnae (or lobes) 15 pairs, lanceolate, acuminate, base slightly narrowed, terminal pinnae, if any, similar to but longer than lateral ones; veins anastomosing with 3 or 4 rows of areoles, marginal veins free. Sori oblong or linear, borne along costal and costular areolae; indusia facing toward costa, dark brown, linear-oblong, papery. Spores elliptic, perispore rugose, granulate.
Two species: distributed in China, south to Vietnam and east to Japan.
Chieniopteris is treated as a section of the genus Woodwardia in Cranfill and Kato (2003, in S. Chandra and M. Srivastava (eds.), Pteridology in the New Millennium, pp. 2548, Kluwer).
1a. Lamina simple or imparipinnate with 14 pairs of lateral pinnae and longer terminal pinna 1. C. harlandii
1b. Lamina pinnatifid, with pinnatifid apex, lateral pinnae 57 pairs ± lobed ................ 2. C. kempii
祟澍蕨 chong shu jue
Woodwardia harlandii Hooker, Fil. Exot. t. 7. 1857; Lorinseria harlandii (Hooker) J. Smith.
Rhizome long-creeping, dark brown, 46 mm in diam., densely scaly; scales brown, lanceolate, 46 mm, membranous, margin entire or with few hairlike teeth. Fronds distant, subdimorphic with fertile lobes narrower than sterile lobes, 30120 cm; stipe 1280 cm, base dark brown, scaly; lamina simple, ternate, or deeply pinnatifid, gray-green or brown when dry, thickly papery or subleathery, glabrous; pinnae (or lobes) 14 pairs, opposite, 45 cm apart, lanceolate, acuminate, base adnate to rachis and decurrent, margin entire or undulate, usually reflexed when dry, basal pinnae 2029 Χ 23 cm, upper pinnae shortened, terminal pinna similar to but longer and broader than lateral ones, rachis wing often very narrow or lacking between basal pinnae; veins anastomosing with 1 row of costal areoles, 2 or 3 rows of hexagonal areoles, marginal veins free. Sori linear, interrupted, 1022 mm, borne along costal and costular areoles; indusia rufous when mature, papery.
In valleys, moist[??damp or wet] forests; 4001300 m. Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, S Hunan, Taiwan [Japan, Vietnam].
裂羽祟澍蕨 lie yu chong shu jue
Woodwardia kempii Copeland, Philipp. J. Sci. 3: 280. 1908; W. harlandii Hooker var. takeoi (Hayata) Masamune; W. heteropinnata B. S. Wang; W. takeoi Hayata.
Rhizome long-creeping, dark brown, 47 mm in diam., densely scaly; scales brown, lanceolate, 45 mm, membranous, entire, apex acuminate. Fronds distant, subdimorphic, fertile fronds larger and more deeply dissected than sterile fronds; stipe 3070 cm, base dark brown, densely scaly, upward sparsely scaly and glabrous, brown-stramineous; lamina pinnatifid, brown when dry, deltoid-ovate, 1326 Χ 1128 cm, nearly leathery, glabrous, base rounded-truncate, apex acuminate; sterile lamina pinnatifid, basal lobes largest, lanceolate, 6.510 Χ 12.5 cm, base slightly narrowed, united with broad wing, margin serrulate, apex acuminate; fertile lamina bipinnatifid; pinnae 57 pairs, opposite, oblique or basal pair nearly spreading, pinnatifid; basal pair largest, elliptic-lanceolate, 1120 Χ 4.510 cm, base narrowed, sessile or shortly stalked, ca. 3 cm apart from above, pinnatipartite to broad wing of costa, apex acuminate; middle lobes lanceolate or linear, 89 Χ 1.21.5 cm, margin irregularly undulate or lobed, entire or with irregular and distant sera, basal lobes much shortened or rounded-auriculate; veins invisible but midvein prominent on both surfaces, anastomosing with 1 row of long, narrow areoles along costa, secondary veins anastomosing with 2 rows of areoles, free near margin. Sori linear, 517 mm, borne in costal, rachis, or midvein areoles; indusium dark brown when mature, papery.
Forests, moist[??damp or wet] forests. Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Taiwan [Japan].
荚囊蕨属 jia lang jue shu
Lithophytes. Rhizome erect or ascending, short, scaly; scales brown, linear or lanceolate, entire. Fronds tufted, monomorphic; lamina pectinate-pinnatisect, oblanceolate, narrowed downward, leathery; pinnae spreading, oblong-subdeltoid, base decurrent to rachis wing; veins invisible, free, furcate, basal ones always trifurcate, not reaching laminar margin. Sori linear, one on either side of costa; indusium facing toward costa, thinly papery, inrolling young sporangia, opening when mature; spores elliptic, perispore corrugated. 2n = 62, 68.
About 10 species: mainly distributed in temperate areas of the northern hemisphere and Australia; two species in China (one endemic).
1a. Sterile lamina 25 cm wide; stipe 324 cm ........................................................ 1. S. eburnea
1b. Sterile lamina 58 cm wide; stipe almost absent ............................................... 2. S. hancockii
荚囊蕨 jia lang jue
Rhizome erect and short, or ascending and long, densely scaly; scales brown, lanceolate, 56 mm, thickly membranous, margin entire or with few teeth, apex fibriform. Fronds tufted, dimorphic; stipe stramineous, almost absent or 324 cm, 12 mm in diam., base scaly, glabrous upward; lamina pectinate-pinnatisect, dark green or brown when dry, linear-oblanceolate, 1545 Χ 25(8) cm above middle, thickly leathery, glabrous; pinnae 2040 pairs, spreading, lower ones gradually shortened, basal pair small auriculate; upper pinnae oblong, 1.53 Χ ca. 0.5 cm, base adnate to rachis, entire, slight narrowed to apex, slightly reflexed, spreading, close or distant; veins invisible, pinnate, furcate, not reaching laminar margin; rachis stramineous, glabrous, shallowly grooved on upper side. Fertile lamina as long as but narrower than sterile lamina. Sori linear, from near costa to near laminar margin, one on either side of costa. 2n = 66*.
* On rocks, limestone; 5001800 m. Anhui, Fujian, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Sichuan, Taiwan.
1a. Lamina to 5 cm wide; pinnae acute ..................................................................... 1a. var. eburnea
1b. Lamina to 3 cm wide; pinnae obtuse or rounded ................................................... 1b. var. obtusa
荚囊蕨(原变种) jia lang jue (yuan bian zhong)
Blechnum eburneum H. Christ, Bull. Acad. Int. Gιogr. Bot. 11: 233. 1902; Lomaria eburnea (H. Christ) Ching; Spicanthopsis eburnea (H. Christ) Tagawa.
Lamina to 5 cm wide; pinnae acute.
* On rock or limestone; 5001800 m. Anhui, Fujian, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Sichuan.
天長羅蔓蕨 pinyin
Spicantopsis eburnea var. obtusa Tagawa, Acta Phytotax. Geobot. 9: 88. 1940.
Lamina to 3 cm wide; pinnae obtuse or rounded.
* On limestone at middle elevations of central mountains. Taiwan.
宽叶荚囊蕨 kuan ye jia lang jue
Blechnum hancockii Hance, J. Bot. 21: 267. 1883; Lomaria apodophylla Baker; Spicantopsis hancockii Masamune[??not in Tropicos or IPNI]; S. nipponica var. hancockii Nakai[??not in Tropicos or IPNI].
Rhizome erect, short, densely scaly; scales dark brown, linear, ca. 1.5 cm, membranous, entire, apex subulate. Fronds tufted, subdimorphic with fertile lamina narrower than sterile lamina, subsessile or shortly stipitate; lamina pectinate-pinnatisect, brown when dry, elliptic or oblanceolate, broadest at or above middle, 3040 Χ 58 cm, thickly leathery, glabrous, base gradually narrowed with small auricles, apex acuminate or acute; pinnae 2040 pairs, spreading, close or distant, linear-oblong, slightly falcate, largest 2.54 Χ ca. 0.5 cm, in fertile fronds 1.53 Χ ca. 0.3 cm, base adnate to rachis, entire, apex acute, slightly reflexed when dry; veins invisible, pinnate, furcate, ending in submarginal fusiform hydathodes; rachis brown or stramineous, shallowly grooved on upper side, sparsely scaly; scales brown, lanceolate. Sori linear, one on either side of costa, occupying most [??of] pinna-lamina.
Forests. Taiwan [Japan].
扫把蕨属 sao ba jue shu
Tree ferns, terrestrial. Stem black, erect, up to ca. 0.8 m tall, 12 cm in diam., covered with stubs of persistent frond bases, apex densely scaly; scales dark brown, narrowly deltoid-lanceolate, ca. 1 cm, entire, subulate. Fronds tufted, shortly stipitate; stipe ca. 3 cm, scaly; lamina bipinnatifid, elliptic-lanceolate, narrowed downward, up to 40 Χ 1014 cm, papery, both surfaces glabrous, acuminate; pinnae to 30 pairs, pinnatifid, oblong-lanceolate, 6.58.5 Χ 1.41.8 cm, base decurrent to narrow rachis wing with triangular lobes between pinnae, apex acuminate; lower pinnae much shorter, basal ones triangular auriculate; pinna-lobes 1315 pairs, oblong or triangular-oblong, up to 9 Χ 3 mm, entire, acute; veins free, pinnate, secondary veins 2- or 3-furcate, not reaching laminar margin; rachis and costae grooved adaxially. Fertile lamina as large as sterile lamina, slightly contracted, pinnae caudate. Sori linear, costal, single on either side of costa, borne on straight unbranched fertile veins parallel to costa; indusia facing toward costa, brown, thin, inrolling when young, opening to costa when mature; spore reniform.
One species: distributed in Taiwan and the Pacific islands.
扫把蕨 sao ba jue
Lomaria fraseri A. Cunningham, Companion Bot. Mag. 2: 264[??364]. 1836; Blechnum fraseri (A. Cunningham) Luerssen; B. integripinnulum Hayata; Diploblechnum integripinnulum (Hayata) Hayata; L. fraseri var. philippinensis H. Christ.
Characters for this species are the same as for the genus.
Moist[??damp or wet] and somewhat exposed path sides. Taiwan [Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines].
The genus Diploblechnum is an ingroup of Blechnum (R. Cranfill, Y. Nakahira, and M. Kato, unpubl. data), although the two are distinct morphologically.