LOMARIOPSIDACEAE [Draft]

藤蕨科  teng jue ke

Xing Fuwu (邢福武)[1], Wang Faguo (王发国)1; Masahiro Kato[2]

Ferns, large, climbing or epiphytic. Rhizomes stout, long-scandent, dorsiventral, with roots on ventral side and several rows of leaves on dorsal side. Stipes not articulate to rhizome, densely scaly at base; scales black, lanceolate. Fronds distant, dimorphic, imparipinnate; lateral pinnae articulate to rachis. Sterile pinnae linear-lanceolate, margin glabrous, serrate; veins free or anastomosing in several rows of areoles, without included free veinlets. Fertile fronds with narrow, linear pinnae. Sori acrostichoid, inserted throughout abaxial surface, exindusiate; annulus consisted of 14–22 thickly walled cells. Spores elliptic.

Four genera of ca. 40 species: pantropical, mainly in Asia, Africa, and Oceania; two genera of five species (three endemic) in S and SW China.

In recent molecular results, Lomariopsis, along with Cyclopeltis and Nephrolepis, form Lomariopsidaceae, while Lomagramma, Bolbitis, Elaphoglossum, and Teratophyllum form an ingroup of Dryopteridaceae.

1a.       Veins all free ..................................................................................................  1. Lomariopsis

1b.       Veins anastomosing .....................................................................................  2. Lomagramma

1. LOMARIOPSIS Fιe, Mιm. Foug. 2: 10. 1845.

藤蕨属  teng jue shu

Climbers, large. Rhizome long-creeping on tree trunk, stout, bearing roots ventrally and fronds in 3–5 dorsal rows, dictyostelic, apex densely covered with black opaque scales. Stipes stramineous, often terete, gradually decurrent into ridges of rhizome; lamina simply pinnate, lateral pinnae articulate to rachis, terminal pinnae not so, pinnae equal, shortly stalked, lanceolate, leathery or papery, glabrescent, margin entire; veins all free, simple or forked, parallel and terminating at cartilaginous margin; fertile pinnae contracted, linear to linear-oblong. Sporangia acrostichoid, completely covering abaxial surface of pinnae, annulus consisting of 14–22 thickly walled cells. Spores monolete, brownish, elliptic. x = 41.

About 20 species: tropical Asia and Africa; three species in China (one endemic).

1a.       Lateral pinnae of sterile leaves 3–5 cm wide, abruptly narrowed to caudate apex 2–3 cm .  1. L. cochinchinensis

1b.       Lateral pinnae of sterile leaves 1.2–2.2 cm wide, apex acuminate.

2a.       Lateral pinnae of sterile leaves ca. 18 Χ 2 cm; veins oblique, free .................  2. L. spectabilis

2b.       Lateral pinnae of sterile leaves ca. 26 Χ 1.2–1.5 cm; veins spreading, occasionally anastomosing           3. L. chinensis

1. Lomariopsis cochinchinensis Fιe, Mιm. Foug. 2: 66. 1845.

藤蕨  teng jue

Plants to 3 m long or longer. Rhizome stramineous, 1–1.2 cm in diam., apex densely covered with scales; scales dark brown, lanceolate, 5–6 Χ 1–1.5 mm, base peltate, margin sparsely toothed, apex acuminate. Fronds leathery, both surfaces glabrous; stipe brown, 10–20 cm, grooved above, scaly; juvenile leaves simple, lanceolate, 18–22 Χ 4.5–5 cm, margin entire, apex caudate-acuminate. Mature lamina pinnate, with terminal pinna elliptic, 35–40 Χ 15–20 cm; lateral pinnae ca. 10 pairs, 1.5–2 cm apart, lanceolate, oblique, 12–20 Χ 3–5 cm, with short stalk ca. 3 mm, cuneate and subsymmetrical at base, margin entire, abruptly narrowed to caudate apex 2–3 cm; lateral pinnae articulate to rachis, terminal pinna not articulate; veins obvious on both surfaces, free, simple or forked, oblique. Fertile pinnae linear, 10–15 Χ 0.3–0.5 cm, basal pinnae with stalk 8–10 mm. Sori acrostichoid. 2n = 164.

Climbing on tree trunks of dense forests; ca. 300 m. SE Yunnan [Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam].

2. Lomariopsis spectabilis (Kunze) Mettenius, Fil. Hort. Bot. Lips. 22. 1856.

美丽藤蕨  mei li teng jue

Lomaria spectabilis Kunze, Bot. Zeitung (Berlin) 6: 144. 1848.

Rhizomes rufous, 1–1.2 cm thick, bearing roots ventrally and fronds in several dorsal rows, densely scaly; scales brown, lanceolate, ca. 6 Χ 2 mm, margin toothed. Fronds leathery; stipe stramineous, 10–30 cm, grooved above, decurrent into ridges of rhizome; juvenile leaves simple, shortly stalked, narrowly lanceolate, 20–25 Χ 1–1.5 cm, base narrowly cuneate, apex acute. Mature lamina pinnate; lateral pinnae 8–15 pairs, shortly stalked, 4–6 cm apart, lanceolate, 12–18 Χ ca. 1.5 cm, both surfaces glabrous, base cuneate and decurrent, margin entire or slightly undulate, apex acuminate; lamina articulate to rachis, terminal pinna not articulate; upper part of rachis narrowly winged; veins obvious on both surfaces, free, simple or forked, oblique. Fertile lamina narrowly elliptic, similar to sterile lamina but pinnae much contracted; pinnae linear, 10–20 Χ ca. 0.3 cm, subsessile, articulate. Sori acrostichoid; perispore consisting of many small wings. 2n = 82.

Climbing on tree trunks and rocks in dense forests; 500–800 m. Hainan, Taiwan [Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam].

3. Lomariopsis chinensis Ching, Acta Phytotax. Sin. 21: 217. 1983.

中华藤蕨  zhong hua teng jue

Rhizomes stramineous, 1–1.2 cm in diam., densely scaly, naked when old; scales dark brown, broadly lanceolate, ca. 6 Χ 1.5–2 mm, base peltate, margin toothed, acuminate. Fronds dark green when dry, thickly papery, both surfaces glabrous; stipe stramineous, 15–25 cm, grooved above, scaly; sterile lamina pinnate, elliptic, 50–60 Χ 22–25 cm, shortly stalked; pinnae ca. 20 pairs, 3–3.5 cm apart, narrowly lanceolate or nearly linear, 22–26 Χ 1.2–1.5 cm, with stalk ca. 8 mm, articulate to rachis, base subequal, narrowly cuneate, entire, apex acuminate; veins obvious on both surfaces, free, simple or forked, spreading, unequally spaced, occasionally anastomosing to form small elliptic areoles. Fertile lamina similar to sterile lamina; pinnae much contracted, linear, 18–26 Χ 0.25–0.3 cm, basal pinnae with stalk ca. 8 mm. Sori acrostichoid.

* Climbing on tree trunks in dense forests; ca. 300 m. Yunnan (Hekou).

2. LOMAGRAMMA J. Smith, J. Bot. (Hooker) 3: 402. 1841.

网藤蕨属  wang teng jue shu

Climbers, large or medium sized. Rhizome long-creeping, stout, bearing roots ventrally and fronds in 2–4 dorsal rows, dictyostelic with large channeled ventral strand producing root traces; scales black, lanceolate, clathrate. Fronds papery; stipe long; lamina 1-pinnate, all pinnae or pinnules articulate to rachis, pinnae or pinnules often equal, lanceolate, margins entire or serrate; veins anastomosing in 2 or 3 rows of areoles or free in submarginal part of pinna, without included free veinlets; fertile pinnae contracted, sometimes strongly so, linear to linear-oblong. Sporangia acrostichoid; annulus consisting of 14–20 thickly walled cells. Spores elliptic, translucent, smooth to granular, without perispore.

About 15 species in S Asia, SE Asia, and Polynesia; two species in China (both endemic).

In a recent classification, Lomagramma is excluded from Lomariopsidaceae and, along with Bolbitis and allied genera, placed in Dryopteridaceae (Smith et al., Taxon 55: 705-731).

1a.       Apical pinna of sterile leaf not articulate to rachis ............................................  1. L. matthewii

1b.       Apical pinna of sterile leaf articulate to rachis ...............................................  2. L. yunnanensis

1. Lomagramma matthewii (Ching) Holttum, Gard. Bull. Straits Settlem. 9(2): 206. 1937.

网藤蕨  wang teng jue

Campium matthewii Ching, Bull. Fan Mem. Inst. Biol. 1: 158. 1930; Aspidium sorbifolium Willdenow; Lomagramma sorbifolia (Willdenow) Ching.

Rhizomes dark brown, 0.3–0.8 cm in diam., covered with gray scales, naked when old; scales lanceolate, vermiform, ca. 1.5 cm. Fronds grass green when dry, thinly papery, with sparse dark brown scales on rachis abaxial surface; stipes 15–30 cm, iridescent, grooved above, with sparse lanceolate, dark brown scales (ca. 1 mm). Sterile leaves pinnate, elliptic-lanceolate, 30–80 Χ 8–20 cm; pinnae 17–34 pairs, lower pinnae 2–5 cm apart, central pinnae close, linear-lanceolate, 3.5–10 Χ 1–2.3 cm, articulate to rachis, base rounded truncate, margin crenate, apex acuminate; apical pinna narrowly lanceolate, not articulate; distal part of rachis with narrow wing; veins forming costal irregular triangular or quinquangular areoles and 3 distal rows of areoles, without included free veinlets. Fertile fronds with stipe 10–15 cm; lamina pinnate, elliptic, 50–60 Χ 15–20 cm; pinnae linear, 22–28 pairs, sessile, 2–3 cm apart, 70–90 Χ 3–5 mm, base broadly cuneate, margin entire, apex long acuminate. Sori acrostichoid.

* Creeping on rocks or tree trunks in dense forests; 300–700 m. Guangdong, Fujian, Hainan, Yunnan.

2. Lomagramma yunnanensis Ching, Acta Phytotax. Sin. 21: 217. 1983.

云南网藤蕨  yun nan wang teng jue

Rhizomes dark brown, ca. 1 cm in diam., covered with gray scales; scales lanceolate, vermiform, ca. 1.5 cm. Fronds dark green when dry, papery, with sparse, dark brown, vesicular scales along rachis abaxial surface; stipes stramineous, 25–30 cm, grooved above, with sparse, narrowly lanceolate, dark brown scales (ca. 2 mm); sterile leaves pinnate, elliptic, 45–55 Χ 18–20 cm; pinnae 20–25 pairs, close, lanceolate, sessile, ca. 2 cm apart, 10–12 Χ 2–2.4 cm, articulate to rachis, base rounded-truncate, basally entire, apically sparsely serrate, apex long acuminate; rachis dark green when dry, distal part of rachis narrowly winged; veins forming costal irregular triangular areoles and 3 distal rows of areoles, without included free veinlets. Fertile fronds not seen.

* Creeping on rocks or tree trunks in dense forests. SE Yunnan.


[1] South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Longdong, Shahe, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510650, People’s Republic of China.

[2] Department of Botany, National Museum of Nature and Science, Tsukuba 305-0005, Japan.