Family

Pteridaceae, subfamily Pteridoideae

Nomenclature

Pteris bella Tagawa, Acta Phytotax. Geobot. 8: 166. 1939; Tagawa & K.Iwats., SouthE. Asian Stud. 5: 81. 1967; Tagawa & K.Iwats., Fl. Thailand 3: 250, f. 19.3. 1985; Boonkerd & Pollawatn, Pterid. Thailand: 126. 2000.

Description

Rhizome erect or ascending, bearing a tuft of fronds at apex, densely scaly; scales up to 8 by 0.8 mm, concolorously brown, entire. Stipes deep purplish, shining, scaly at base, glabrescent upwards, 20–55 cm long. Laminae oblong with acute apex, deeply bipinnatisect, 20–30 by 15–25 cm; rachis shining purple, glabrescent; lateral pinnae 5 or 6 pairs, opposite, lanceolate, caudately acuminate at apex, slightly narrowing towards subtruncate sessile base, up to 12 by 2.5 cm; costa stramineous, glabrescent; pinnules oblique, rounded at apex, entire at margin, adnate at base and decurrent to the costa with wings less than 0.5 mm broad, up to 13 by 4 mm, softly papyraceous, green; veins forked, raised beneath. Sori marginal, usually less than 7 mm long; indusia pale brown, thin.

Distribution in Thailand

NORTHERN: Mae Hong Son, Chiang Mai; NORTH-EASTERN: Loei; SOUTH-WESTERN: Kanchanaburi; PENINSULAR: Nakhon Si Thammarat.

Wider Distribution

Taiwan.

Ecology

Terrestrial, usually on mountain slopes in lower montane forests at 1100–2200 m alt.

Proposed IUCN Conservation Assessment

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

Voucher specimens - Thailand

Middleton et al. 4896, Chiang Mai, Doi Inthanon National Park (E).