ICONES FILICUM SINICARUM 
PLATE 08 
POLYPODIUM NIPONICUM Mettenius 
POLYPODIACEAE 
POLYPODIUM NIPONICUM Mettenius, Ann. Lugd. Bat. 2: 222 (1866); Hk. et Bak. Syn. Fil. 
341 (1868); Christ, Farnkr. d. Erde 93 (1897); Diels, Nat. Pfl. Fam. 1: 4. 311 
(1899); C. Chr. Ind. Fil. 564 (1906); Ogata, Ic. Fil. Jap. 3: pl. 140 (1931). 
Polypodium Bodinieri. Christ, Bull. Acad. Géogr. Bot. (1902) 203. 
Polypodium Silvestrii Christ, in Lecomte, Not. Syst. 1: 58 (1909). 
Polypodium longkyense Rosenst. in Fedde, Repert. Sp. Nov. 13: 134 (1914) 
Rhizome rather thick, fleshy, long-creeping, epigacous, black, subglabrous, covered 
by whitish blooms; scales sparce at the base of stipe, or on the growing tip, fusco-brown, 
thin, clathrate, lmear-subulate from an ovate base, margin subentire from base upwards; 
frond far apart, erect, stipe straminous, naked, 15-20 cm long, lamina pinnatifid nearly to 
the rachis into about 20 pairs or more, spreading, linear-oblong, entire, acute, close pinnae, 
the lowest often subfree, slightly reduced and deflexed; texture papyraceous, both sides 
densely pubescent with short, whitish, 2-3-celled, soft hairs; color obscurely blackish; 
veins anastomosing in one row of areolae along rachis and costa of pinnae; sori rather 
large, rounded, naked, nearer to the costa than to the margin, which is finely ciliate. 
Kwangtung: Lokchong, N. K. Chun 42660, 42963. Kiangsi: Kuling, Dr. Shearer 
(1873); Forbes 752 (1874); H. H. Hu 2309. Hupeh: Nanto near Ichang, A. Henry 2660; 
3196; Ma Kia Keou, Silvestri 62, 3283. Chekiang: Ningpo, Hancock 19. Kweichow: Pin- 
fa, Cavalerie 7239, 7012; Shih-tsien, Y. Tsiang 4115; Tu-shan, Y. Tsang 6922; Tsin-gay, 
Bodimer 2031, March, 1898. Yunnan: Long-ky, E.E£. Maire. Kwangsi: Miu Shan, Bin- 
long, R.C. Ching 5961. Szechuan: Tchen-kou-tin, R. P. Farges 2031; Mapien Hsien, 
W.P. Fang 6455. WKiangsu: I-shing, Hufu, C. Y. Luh 456; R. C. Ching & C. L. Tso 
(1926). 
Type from Japan. A fairly common fern in East China, and generally growing over 
rocks. This is one of the most distinct species of the genus by its rather thick, fleshy 
subglabrous, epigaeous rhizome covered by whitish blooms, and by its broadly lanceolate, 
herbaceous lamina, which is densely but shortly pubescent on both sides. As to all these 
essential characters, this is a very uniform species, although differs more or less in the 
dimension of leaves. The Chinese plant described twice by Christ and once by Rosen- 
stock as distinct species is perfectly identical with the Japanese type. 
Plate 98. Fig. 1. habit sketch (natural size). 2. segment, showing venation and pubescent 
surface (X 3). 3. scale from rhizome (X50). 
