ICONES FILICUM SINICARUM 
LEAL ZED, 307/41 
ASPLENIUM EXIGUUM Beddome 
POLYPODIACE 
ASPLENIUM EXIGUUM Beddome, Ferns S. Ind. t. 145 (1863); Hope, Journ. Bomb. Nat. Hist. 
Soc. 13: 663 (1900-1); C. Chr. Ind. Fil. rr0 (1905); Suppl. III. 32 (1934). 
Asplenium fontanum var. exiguum Bedd. Handb. Ferns Brit. Ind. 158 (1883). 
Asplenium yunnanense Franch. Bull. Soc. Bot. France 32: 28 (1885); Diels in Engl. u. Prantl: 
Nat. Pflanzenfam. 1: 4. 241 (1899); C. Chr. Ind. Fil. 138 (1905); Acta Hort. Gothob. 1: 
80. 1924; Blot, Aspl. du Tonkin 42 t. 4 f. 1-4 (1932). 
Asplenium fontanum var. yunnanense Bedd. Handb. Ferns Brit. Ind. Suppl. 31 (1892). 
Asplenium Loherianum Christ, Bull. Herb. Boiss. 6: 152 (1898); C. Chr. Ind. Fil. 118 (1905). 
As plenium woodsioides Christ, Bull. Soc. Bot. Ital. (1900) 261; C. Chr. Ind. Fil. 138 (1905). 
Asplenium lushanense C. Chr. Acta Hort. Gothob. 1: 80 t. 16 f. e-g (1924). 
Aspleniwm fontanum Clarke, Trans. Linn. Soc. II. Bot. 1: 484 (1880), pro parte. 
Rhizome short, erect, densely radicose and scaly; scales linear-lanceolate, dark 
brown, thin, iridescent; fronds tufted, stipe 1.5 -3 cm long, atro-castaneous, densely fibril- 
lose-scaly throughout, lamina linear-lanceolate, 1-3 cm broad, varying from 10-30 cm long, 
narrowed towards both ends, bipinnatifid or rarely subbipinnate, rachis quite glabrous, 
castaneous below, green towards apex which often prolongated and rooting at tip; pinnae 
15-28-jugate, shortly petiolate, ovate-oblong to oblong-lanceolate, patent, 0.5-2.5 cm long, 
deeply incised into 3-6 pairs of oblong, dentate segments with the anterior basal segment not 
infrequently being the largest and subpinnatifid; texture herbaceous, both sides glabrous; 
veins obscure, each tooth with one veinlet; sori elongate, indusiwm membranaceous, gray, 
entire, opening mostly towards the costa of pinne, but those on the anterior basal pinnules 
often towards costules. 
Yunnan: Lan-kong, Delavay, April 7, 1883 (type of A. yunnanense); Mengtze, A. 
Henry 10106, 13603; Hancock 56 (18093); Pu-seh Cliff, Henry 13392; Chungtien Plateau. 
Forrest 18043; Mekong, Forrest 15279.A; Kin-tchong Chow, E. E. Maire 2805; Yunnan-fu 
near Laka Tiang, Schneider 458 (1914); Yungling Mt., Forrest 15244; Hockiang, Schneider 
2789; Tcheou-Kia-Tze-Tang, Maire 1412A. Szechwan: Moupin, David; Wilson 2658, 5350; 
5349, Nin-Yuan-Fu, Harry Smith 1801 (type of A. lushanense). Kweichow: Ma-jo, Cava- 
lerie (1908); Pin-fa, Cavalerie 660 (pro parte); Kiang-long, Michel 992; Cavalerie, Jan. IQIO; 
without locality, Esquirol 799. 
Tibet: Muti, Capt. Kingdom Ward 4827. 
Also Himalayas, South India, Tonkin and Luzon, the Philippine Islands (leg. Loher, 
type of A. Loherianum). 
A distinct but very variable fern, now known rather extensively in Asia. The 
frond varies from scarcely 5 mm to over 3 cm in width and leaf-apex sometimes prolong- 
ated and rooting at tip. The nearest relative is evidently A. fontanum (L.) Bernh. from 
which it differs in less pinnatifid fronds of dark green color, in costal sori and sometimes 
prolongated and rooting leaf-apex. The type based upon a specimen from Mt. Nilgari, 
South India, represents a small and simple form with some fronds having prolongated and 
rooting apex and agrees well with A. lushanense C. Chr. The Philippine plant described 
under A. Loherianum differs from the mainland form in no respect. ‘The Mexican A. 
Glenniet Baker has been found not specifically different from the typical form of our fern, 
as already pointed out by Hope (1. c.) long ago. 
Plate 174. Fig. 1. Habit sketch (natural size). 2. Lateral'pinne (x 6). 3. Scale from the base 
of stipe (x 24). 
