Polystichum sinense (Christ) Christ

Dryopteridaceae, JP Roux, M Shaffer-Fehre, B Verdcourt. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 2007

Type

China, Szechuan, Mupin, Wilson 2614 (BM!, holo.)

Morphology General Habit

Terrestrial or lithophytic.

Vegetative Multiplication Rhizomes

Rhizome suberect, to 13 cm long and 1 cm in diameter, rarely branched, with dense roots and brown linear paleae to 12 × 1 mm, ending in acicular cell

Morphology Leaves

Fronds tufted, 8–12 in number, to 1 m long.

Morphology Leaves Stipes

Stipe brown near base, straw-coloured higher up, 35–45 cm long, 5 mm in diameter, with adaxial groove, sparsely to densely paleate, paleae ovate, 13–23 × 7–9 mm with fimbriate margin and darker central part.

Morphology Leaves Leaf lamina

Lamina herbaceous, pale to dark green, narrowly elliptic in outline, (33–)47–63 × 8–16 cm, 2-pinnate.

Morphology Leaves Rachis

Rachis straw-coloured, densely paleate with paleae similar to but smaller than those on stipe, to 9 × 3 mm; pinnae up to 29 on each side of the rachis, the lowermost reduced and deflexed, the largest to 9 × 2 cm; pinnules up to 12 free pairs per pinna, to 12 mm long, long-aristate; venation clear, costa with dense narrowly ovate to triangular scales with long outgrowths on lower margins

Morphology Reproductive morphology Sori

Sori (sub-)terminal on abbreviated vein branches, circular, ± 1 mm in diameter; sporangium with 11–24 indurated annulus cells; indusium persistent, straw-coloured, peltate, circular, repand to erose with small, central processes, maximum radial length 1.1 mm

Morphology Reproductive morphology Spores

Spores brown, smooth or tuberculate, spiculate

Figures

Figure 10: 9-10, figure 11: 1-3

Ecology

Bamboo zone, Hagenia zone, heath zone and moorland, occasionally in moist forest, often near streams, at higher altitudes in sheltered sites; 2350–3650(?–4100) m

Conservation

Widespread; least concern (LC)

Note

P. transvaalense and P. wilsonii occur sympatrically and often grow side by side. P. wilsonii has slightly shorter and narrower fronds, more pronounced reduced and deflexed of the basal pinnae, and an indusium margin that generally is less clearly sculptured; also, the paleae occur on the rachis, while in P. transvaalensis they are restricted to the stipe and the lower rachis. P. wilsonii is prdominantly a high altitude species – although it does occur at lower altitudes as well, where it overlaps with P. transvaalensis. A number of intermediates occur, and a putative hybrid has been described ( P. × saltum, Roux 1997).

Distribution

Flora districts: U2 U3 K3 K4 K5 K6 T2 T3 T7 Range: High mountains of Bioko, Cameroon, eastern Congo-Kinshasa, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe and South Africa Range: Temperate and tropical Asia

Use

None recorded from our area