Family

Dryopteridaceae

Nomenclature

Bolbitis hookeriana K.Iwats., Acta Phytotax. Geobot. 18: 49. 1959; Tagawa & K.Iwats., Fl. Thailand 3: 317. 1988; Boonkerd & Pollawatn, Pterid. Thailand: 183. 2000; Newman et al., Checkl. Vasc. Pl. Lao PDR: 27. 2007.

Polybotrya vivipara Buch.-Ham. ex Hook., Exot. Fl.: t. 107. 1825. – Egenolfia vivipara (Buch.-Ham. ex Hook.) C.Chr., Index Filic. Suppl. III.: 102. 1934; Tardieu & C.Chr., Fl. Indo-Chine 7(2): 423. 1941. – Bolbitis appendiculata subsp. vivipara (Buch.-Ham. ex Hook.) Hennipman, Blumea 18: 147. 1970; Hennipman, Leiden Bot. Ser. 2: 196, f. 50a–h, 51. 1977; Boonkerd & Pollawatn, Pterid. Thailand: 182. 2000.

Polybotrya appendiculata var. hamiltoniana Bedd., Handb. Ferns Brit. India: 426, f. 256. 1883.

Polybotrya nodiflora Bory in Bél., Voy. Indes Or. II.: 17. 1833. – Egenolfia nodiflora (Bory) Fée, Mém. Foug., 2. Hist. Acrostich. 77, pl. 38, f. 2. 1845; Ching, Bull. Fan Mem. Inst. Biol. 2: 304. 1931.

Description

Terrestrial. Rhizome short creeping, up to 1 cm diam.; scales gradually narrowing from base towards long-acuminate apex, up to 5 by 0.5 mm, entire or with irregular projections at margin, concolorously brown, not clathrate. Stipes stramineous, grooved above, scaly throughout with narrow subclathrate scales, about 10 cm long in sterile fronds, twice as long as in fertile ones. Sterile lamina up to 67 by 10 cm; middle lateral pinnae the largest, patent or ascending, very shortly stalked, elliptic with acute apex and truncate or very broadly cuneate at base, subentire or slightly crenate at margin, up to 4.7 by 1.5 cm, the lower ones shorter, patent or deflexed, apical pinna narrowly subtriangular, elongate at apex, up to 5 cm long, gemmiferous; rachis stramineous, minutely scaly throughout, winged in upper portion; costa raised on both surfaces, pale, glabrous, veins more or less visible, all free, basiscopic branches of vein groups running to sinus ending in distinct teeth about 0.7 mm in length. Fertile lamina bipinnate, to 22 by 7 cm; pinnae 1–1.5 cm apart, moniliform, shortly stalked, 17 by 1.7 mm, sporangia forming 5–8 groups but usually confluent at maturity.

Distribution in Thailand

NORTHERN: Mae Hong Son, Chiang Mai, Lampang, Tak; SOUTH-WESTERN: Uthai Thani, Kanchanaburi.

Distribution in Laos

Champasak, Savannakhet.

Wider Distribution

N India and Indochina.

Ecology

On mountain slopes in dense evergreen forests at medium altitude.

Similar species

Bolbitis appendiculata (Willd.) K.Iwats.

Proposed IUCN Conservation Assessment

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

Notes

This species is close to Bolbitis appendiculata (Willd.) K.Iwats. and has sometimes been treated as Bolbitis appendiculata subsp. vivipara (Buch.-Ham. ex Hook.) Hennipman.

Voucher specimens - Thailand

Middleton et al. 4748, Kanchanaburi, Khao Laem National Park (E).

Voucher specimens - Laos

Maxwell 97-1151, Chamapsak (CMU).