ICONES FILICUM SINICARUM 
PLATE 61 
LEPISORUS LORIFORMIS (Wall.) Ching 
POLYPODIACEAE 
LEPISORUS LORIFORMIS (Wall.) Ching, Bull. Fan Mem. Inst. Biol. 4: 81. 1933. 
Polypodium loriforme Wall. Cat. n. 271. 1828 (nom, nud.); Mett. Polyp. 92 (exel. t. I. f. 49-50). 
1857; Hooker, Gard. Ferns pl. 14. 1862 (excl. syn.); C. Chr. Contr. U.S. Nat. Herb. 20: 
217, 1931. 
Drynaria loriforma J. Sm. Journ. Bot. (1841) 61. 
Polypodium xiphiopteris Baker, Kew Bull. (1906) 13. 
Polypodium excavatum var. loriforme C. Chr. Ind. Fil. 541. 1906. 
Polypodium subimmersum Baker, Kew Bull. (1895) 55; Takeda, Notes R. Bot. Gard. Edinb. 
8: 275. IgI5. 
Polypodium mengtzeanum Baker, Kew Bull. (1906) 14. 
Polypodium lineare var. loriforme Takeda, Notes R. Bot. Gard. Edinb. 8: 275. 1915; Acta 
Horti Goteb. 1: 100. 1924. 
Polypodium subimmersum {. mengtzeana Takeda, Notes R. Bot. Gard. Edinb. 8: 276. 1915; 
Hand-Mzt, Symb. Sinic. 6: 43. 1929. 
Rhizome rather short-creeping, densely scaly, scales fuscous, ovate-acuminate, 
denticulate, coarsely clathrate with large clear uniform hexagonal luminae, con- 
colorous; frond rather approximate, 30-45 cm long, 6-13 mm broad, linear-elongate, 
gradually attenuate to short stipe (1-3 cm long), with long-acuminate apex, margin 
entire or slightly repando-undulate, somewhat revoluted in dry state; texture sub- 
coriaceous, color brown; costa prominent, Jatera: veins and veinlets completely immersed 
but transluscent under strong light; sori medium-sized, roundish, or more often oblong, 
submarginal, 1.2 cm apart, densely covered when young with rather small, irregularly 
stellato-peltate scales. 
Yunnan: Mengtze, A. Henry 11827B (pro parte), 11926A; Hancock 92; Szemeo, 
Henry 1339, 13249, 9134; on route to Tengyueh, J. F. Rock 7020; Between Tengyueh 
and Burmese border, J. F’. Rock 7303; Salween, Gebauer. Tibetan border: Capt. 
Kingdon Ward 591; July 28, 1gr0. 
Upper Burma: G. Forrest 26131. 
Type from Nepal (Wallich 271). 
The fern before us proves to be one of the most distinct of the genus but, 
unfortunately, was entirely forgotten since the time of Hooker and Mettenius over half 
a century ago. It is almost inconceivable when the authors of Indian ferns, like C. B. 
Clarke, R. H. Beddome and J. G. Baker, should have entirely suppressed it as a syno- 
nym of polypodium lineare Thunberg. In 1915, H. Takeda took a sounder return of 
ideals of this fern by raising it to a varietal rank of Thunberg’s species, but it is not 
until over two years ago that this fern, as a very distinct species, has happily been 
revived through the effort of Dr. C. Christensen, who having explicitely redescribed it 
concluded that it was sufficiently different from Polypodium lineare Thunberg, or other 
related species in general habit, position of sori and structure of scales on rhizome. 
Plate 61. Fig. I. Habit sketch (natural size). 2. Peltate paraphysis from a sorus (x 50). 3. 
Scale from rhizome (x 50). 4. Sporangium (x 150). 5. Spores (x 150). 6. Portion of a frond, 
showing venation and position of sori (x 4). 
