Family

Dryopteridaceae

Nomenclature

Bolbitis deltigera (Bedd.) C.Chr., Index Filic. Suppl. III.: 48. 1934; Tagawa & K.Iwats., SouthE. Asian Stud. 5: 91. 1967; Tagawa & K.Iwats., Fl. Thailand 3: 313, f. 26.6–8. 1988; Boonkerd & Pollawatn, Pterid. Thailand: 183. 2000. – Poecilopteris costata var. deltigera Bedd., Ferns, Brit. India: 114, pl. 114. 1865. – Meniscium deltigerum Wall. ex C.B.Clarke, Trans. Linn. Soc. London, Bot. 1: 572. 1880. – Campium deltigerum (Bedd.) Copel., Philipp. J. Sci. 37: 387, f. 38. 1928. – Bolbitis virens var. deltigera (Bedd.) Hennipman, Blumea 18: 149. 1970; Hennipman, Leiden Bot. Ser. 2: 184, f. 47 & 48k–m. 1977.

Description

Lithophytic or terrestrial. Rhizome short to long creeping, more than 1 cm diam., densely scaly; scales oblong-subdeltoid, up to 5 by 1.2 mm, brown, clathrate in centre, sometimes with a paler and non clathrate at margin, stiff. Sterile frond: stipe stramineous, 30–50 cm long, scaly throughout with light brown, ferrugineous, appressed scales; lamina oblong-lanceolate, 40–60 by 30–40 cm; lateral pinnae 6–9 pairs, shortly stalked, 5–8 cm apart, oblong-lanceolate, rather suddenly narrowing to cuspidate apex, round to cuneate at base, subentire or more or less waved at margin, up to 23 by 5 cm, often a bulbil present near end of costa and sometimes near ends of main lateral veins on upper surface; terminal pinna like lateral ones, a little longer to 27 x 7.5 cm, bulbils present near apex and sometimes near ends of main lateral veins on upper surface; costa minutely scaly beneath; veins slightly raised beneath; subcoriaceous, green even in dried condition. Fertile frond lower than the sterile ones: stipe 30–50 cm long; lamina 35–45 by 12–15 cm; lateral pinnae 6–8 pairs, distinctly stalked, straight, ascending, oblong, acuminate at apex, unequally rounded to cuneate at base, 11 by 2.5 cm; terminal pinna like the lateral ones, sometimes viviparous near apex; sporangia covering the undersurface of pinnae except for narrow sterile strands along main veins.

Distribution in Thailand

NORTHERN: Lampang, Phrae, Phitsanulok; SOUTH-WESTERN: Phetchaburi; CENTRAL: Nakhon Nayok; SOUTH-EASTERN: Chachoengsao.

Wider Distribution

N India.

Ecology

On moist rocks or on humus-rich ground in dense forests, seasonally dry, below 600 m alt.

Proposed IUCN Conservation Assessment

Least Concern (LC). This species is widespread and not under any known threats.

Notes

This species has sometimes been treated as a synonym of Bolbitis virens (Wall. ex Hook. & Grev.) Schott .

Voucher specimens - Thailand

Middleton et al. 4732, Chachoengsao, Ang Rue Nai Wildlife Sanctuary (E).