Elaphoglossaceae [First Draft]

ELAPHOGLOSSACEAE [FIRST DRAFT]

舌蕨科 she jue ke

Xing Fuwu, Wang Faguo*

Epiphytes, lithophytic, rarely on trunk or terrestrial. Rhizome short- to long-creeping, dictyostelic, covered with ovate-lanceolate scales. Leaves remote or close together, usually dimorphic. Stipes long or short, always terete, articulate or subarticulate to terete rhizome, sterile lamina simple, entire, lanceolate to elliptic, mostly thick and leathery, the margin often thin and strongly costate, the costa prominent below; veins mostly immersed free, simply or forked and parallel almost to the margin; fertile fronds often longer, contracted and with longer stipes. Sporangia acrostichoid, entirely covering the lower surface of the lamina, paraphyses lacking, annulus longitudinal, interrupted, of c.12 thickened cells. Spores small, monolete, elliptic, brown, with perispore.

A family of 4 genera with 400-500 species most distributed in tropical America especially in Andes of South America. One genus in China.

1. Elaphoglossum J. Sm. Schott, Gen. Fil. pl. 14, adn. 1834.

舌蕨属 she jue shu

Plants small to medium-sized, epiphytes rarely terrestrial or lithophytic. Rhizome creeping or erect, bearing roots ventrally and fronds in 2 dorsal row, dictyostelic, scales narrow or broad, usually cordate, dark or pale, the margins bearing short teeth or hairs, often glandular. Leaves tufted or close together, rarely remote, dimorphic; stipes usually terete, articulate or subarticulate to scaly phyllopodia, sterile lamina simple, entire, mostly thick and leathery, the margin often thin and colourless, strongly costate, the costa prominent below; veins mostly immersed free, simply or forked and parallel almost to the margin, sometimes connected by an intramarginal vein at their tips, rarely copiously anastomosing; fertile lamina often longer, contracted and with longer stipe. Leaves coriaceous, variously paleate or glabresent. Sporangia acrostichoid, entirely covering the lower surface of the lamina, exindusiate, paraphyses lacking, annulus longitudinal, interrupted, of c.12 thickened cells. Spores elliptic, monolete, brown, with a thick folded perispore. N=41.

Comprises more than 400 species, distributing throughout wetter parts of tropics and temperate zone, with greatest diversity on the Andes. 6 species in China.

1a. Rhizomes long-creeping; stipes distant.

2a. Sterile lamina rounded or elliptic···························································· 1. E. sinii

2b. Sterile lamina lanceolate to elliptic-lanceolate······························ 2. E. angulatum

1b. Rhizomes short-creeping; stipes tufted or close together.

3a. Apex of sterile lamina obtusely rounded······································· 3. E. luzonicum

3b. Apex of sterile lamina acuminate or acute.

4a. Sterile lamina gradually decurrent nearly to the base of stipes, with short stalk or subsessile 4. E. yoshinagae

4b. Sterile lamina shortly decurrent, with long stalk.

5a. Sterile lamina 2.5-6 cm wide, apex shortly acuminate or acute, secondary veins unconspicuous 5. E. conforme

5b. Sterile lamina 1.2-3.2 cm wide, apex long acuminate, secondary veins visible 6. E. yunnanense

1. Elaphoglossum sinii C. Chr. ex Wu in Bull. Dept. Biol. Coll. Sci. Sun Yatsen Univ. no. 3. 346, pl. 164. 1932.

圆叶舌蕨 yuan ye she jue

Rhizomes long-creeping, ca. 2 mm thick, densely scaly; scales ovate or ovate-lanceolate, 2-4 mm long, darkly brown, membranaceous, margin entire or slightly ciliate, base circular, apex acuminate. Leaves dimorphic, remote; sterile leaves 4-13 cm tall, stipe 2-8 cm long, brownish stramineous, base densely covered with scales similar to rhimoze, sparse upwards; lamina rounded, ovate or elliptic, texture coriaceous, brown when dry, covered with brown and stellate small scales, 2.5-6 × 2-3.5 cm, base rounded-cuneate, decurrent nearly to median of stipes, margin entire, costate and slightly reflexed, rounded at apex; midrib obvious, prominent on both surfaces, thinly grooved above, secondary veins unconspicuous, simple or once forked, terminating on the margin; fertile leaves with longer stipes and somewhat narrower laminae, stipes 5-10 cm long, lamina 2.5-6 × 1-2 cm. Sori inserted all over the lower surface.

Growing on moist rocks or tree trunks, 1100 – 1900 m; Guangxi, Yunnan.

2. Elaphoglossum angulatum (Bl.) Moore, Ind. Fil. 5. 1857.

爪哇舌蕨 zhao wa she jue

Acrostichum angulatum Bl. Enum. Pl. Jav. 101. 1828; Elaphoglossum ogatai C. Chr.

Rhizomes long-creeping, 3-5 mm thick, dictyostelic, densely scaly; scales ovate, 4-7 mm long, thin, brown, membranaceous, margin entire or slightly ciliate, apex acute. Leaves remote, dimorphic; stipes of sterile leaves 5-15 cm long, stramineous, sparsely scaly; lamina lanceolate to elliptic-lanceolate, texture coriaceous, brown when dry, 6-15 × 1.5-3 cm, base cuneate, margin entire, costate and slightly reflexed, acute at apex; midrib obvious, prominent on both surfaces, slightly covered with brown small scales, thinly grooved above, secondary veins unconspicuous, forking and terminating on the margin; fertile leaves with longer stipes and somewhat narrower laminae, stipes 15-20 cm long. Sori inserted all over the lower surface.

Growing on mossy rocks or tree trunks, 1600; Hainan, Taiwan [Indonesia, Java, Malesia, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Vietnam].

3. Elaphoglossum luzonicum Cop. In Elmer. Leafl. Philip. Bot. 1: 235. 1907 et 2: 416. 1908 et Fern Fl. Philip. 2: 278. 1960.

吕宋舌蕨 lv song she jue

Elaphoglossum mcclurei Ching; Elaphoglossum lipidopodum C. Chr. ex Ogata.; Elaphoglossum spongophyllum Bell ex Holttum.

Rhizomes short-creeping, 3-4 mm thick, densely scaly; scales ovate-lanceolate, ca. 5 mm long, thin, brown, membranaceous, margin entire or slightly ciliate, apex acuminate. Leaves tufted or close together, dimorphic; stipes of sterile leaves 4-8 cm long, brownish stramineous, base densely covered with scales similar to rhizome, sparsely covered with stellate small scales upwards; lamina elliptic-lanceolate, texture thickly coriaceous, darkly brown when dry, sparsely covered with brown stellate small scales, 15-20 × 2-3 cm, base cuneate and decurrent to stipe, margin entire, costate and slightly reflexed, obtuse at apex; midrib obvious, prominent on both surfaces, grooved above, secondary veins unconspicuous, forking and terminating on the margin; fertile leaves with longer stipes and somewhat narrower laminae, stipes 14-16 cm long, laminae 12-18 × 1.5-2 cm. Sori inserted all over the lower surface.

E. mcclurei is identical to E. luzonicum in every way except that edge of lamina have sparser spreading scales. As in some other species of E. mcclurei, fronds of young plants also have a more persistent fringe of scales which are larger than on mature plants. Therefore we reduce E. mcclurei as a synonym of E. luzonicum.

Growing on rocks or tree trunks in forests, 500-1100 m; Hainan, Taiwan (Nantou, Pingtung, Taitung) [Malesia, New Guinea, Philippines].

4. Elaphoglossum yoshinagae (Yatabe) Makino, Phan. Pterid. Jap. Icon. 3: pl. 51-52. 1901.

华南舌蕨 hua nan she jue

Acrostichum yoshinagae Yatabe; Elaphoglossum austro-sinicum Matthew et Christ; Acrostichum austro-sinicum Tutcher ex Dunn et Tutcher; Elaphoglossum parvulum Cop.

Rhizomes short-creeping, stout, dictyostelic, densely scaly; scales ovate or ovate-lanceolate, ca. 5 mm long, thin, brown, membranaceous, margin ciliate, apex acuminate or acute. Leaves dimorphic, close together; sterile leaves 15-30 cm tall, subsessile or with short stipes; lamina elliptic, texture coriaceous, brown when dry, covered with brown and stellate small scales, 10-30 cm long, median part 3-4.5 cm wide, cuneate at base, decurrent nearly to bases of stipes, margin entire, costate and slightly reflexed, acute at apex; midrib broad, flat on the underside, veins simple or once forked; fertile leaves with longer stipes and somewhat narrower laminae, stipes 7-10 cm long.Sori inserted all over the lower surface.

Growing on mossy rocks or tree trunks, 350-1800; Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hainan, Hunan, Jiangxi, Taiwan [Japan].

5. Elaphoglossum conforme (Sw.) Schott, Gen. Fil. pl. 14. 1834.

舌蕨 she jue

Acrostichum conforme Sw. Syn. Fil. 10: 192, pl. 1, f. 1. 1806; Acrostichum marginatum Wall.; Elaphoglossum marginatum Moore; Elaphoglossum fuscopunctatum Christ; Elaphoglossum pendulifolium Tagawa.

Rhizomes short-creeping, densely scaly; scales lanceolate, 4-5 mm long, darkly brown, membranaceous, margin ciliate, apex acuminate. Stipes of sterile leaves tufted, 7-13 cm long, densely covered with scales similar to rhizome, the upper stipe scales smaller and narrower; lamina lanceolate, 12-30 × 2-4.5cm, texture coriaceous, appressed by brown and stellate small scales on both surfaces especially undersurface, cuneate at base, shortly decurrent along the stipe, margin entire, costate and slightly reflexed, acuminate or acute at apex; veins free, simple or once forked from the midrib, somewhat hidden; fertile leaves with longer stipes and narrower laminae; stipes 10-20 cm long. Sori inserted all over the lower surface.

Two varietie in China.

1a. Secondary veins somewhat hidden···························· 5a. E. conforme var. conforme

1b. Secondary veins hardly visible································· 5b. E. conforme var. callifolium

5a. Elaphoglossum conforme var. conforme

舌蕨(原变种) she jue (yuan bian zhong)

Epiphytic on moist rocks or trunks in forest, 450-2600; Sichuan, Guizhou, Guangxi, Taiwan, Xizang, Yunnan [Sikkim].

5b.Elaphoglossum conforme (Sw.) Schott var. callifolium (Moore) F. G. Wang & F. W. Xing

南海舌蕨(变种) nan hai she jue (bian zhong)

Elaphoglossum callifolium (Bl.) Moore, Ink. Fil. 7. 1857; Acrostichum callifolium Bl.

Elaphoglossum callifolium differs from E. conforme in having hardly visible secondary veins rather than somewhat hidden secondary veins. Specimens and field observation show they share many same characteristics, such as stipe of sterile leaves 5-12 cm long, lamina lanceolate, 10-30 × 2.5-6 cm, apex acuminate or acute, cuneate and decurrent at base, margin entire or somewhat undulate, costate and slightly reflexed.

Growing on trunks in dense forest, 100-1500; Taiwan (Pingtung, Hualien) [Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam].

6. Elaphoglossum yunnanense (Bak.) C. Chr. in Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 26: 327. 1931.

云南舌蕨 yun nan she jue

Acrostichum yunnanense Bak.

Rhizomes short-creeping, 3-7 mm thick, densely scaly, with 2 rows of leaves; scales subulate or narrowly lanceolate, ca. 4 mm long, darkly brown, thickly membranaceous, margin irregularly serrate, apex acuminate and aristiform. Leaves dimorphic, close together; stipe of sterile leaves 4-16 cm long, densely covered with stellate or subulate scales upward, partly decideuous when old; lamina long lanceolate, texture coriaceous, brown when dry, sparsely covered with brown and stellate small scales on both surfaces, 12-35 cm long, median part 1.2-3.2 cm wide, narrowly cuneate at base, slightly decurrent along the stipe, margin entire or somewhat undulate, costate and slightly reflexed, long acuminate at apex; midrib prominent on both surfaces, grooved above, veins visible, simple or once forked; fertile leaves sometimes shorter than sterile; stipes 8-22 cm long, densely scaly; lamina linear-lanceolate, 13-21 × ca. 1 cm. Sori inserted all over the lower surface.

Growing on tree trunks in secondary forests, 400-1800; Hainan, Yunnan [India, Malesia, Vietnam].