ICONES FILICUM SINICARUM 
PLATE 140 
PTERIS FAURIEI Hieronymus 
POLYPODIACEZ 
PTERIS FAURIEI Hieronymus, Hedwigia 55: 345 (1914); C. Chr. Ind Fil. Suppl. IT. 
30 (1916). 
Pteris quadriaurita Hk. Sp. Fil. 2: 179 (1852); Syn. Fil. 158 (1867); Diels in Engl. u. Prantl: 
Nat. Pflanzenfam. 1: 4. 292 (1899), pro parte. 
Pieris quadriaurita Franch. et Sav. (non Retz.) Enum. Pl. Jap. 2: 214 (1877); Christ in Warburg, 
Monsunia 1: 69 (1900); Bull. Herb. Boiss. IV. 2: 612 (1g04); Journ. d. Bot. France 19: 14 
(1905); Bull. Acad. Géogr. Bot. (rg10) 16; C. Chr. Acta Hort. Gothob. 1: 97 (1924). 
Pleris biaurita C. Chr. Ind. Fil. 593 (1905). pro parte. 
Pieris longipinnula Christ (non Wall. 1828), Bull. Acad. Géogr. Bot. (1906) 130; ibid., (1910) 16. 
Rhizome short, oblique, densely scaly; scales dark brown, lanceolate, rigid, 
appressed; fronds subceespitose, stipe 30-40 cm long, rufo-straminous on the lower 
part, lighter-cclored upwards, glabrous above the base, lamina broadly ovate-del- 
toid, 30-45 cm long, nearly as broad; pinnz 4-7-jugate under the free end-pinna, 
generally larger than those immediately below, the basal ones much the largest, 
deltoid, with 1-3 additional pinnules on the lower side of costa, all subsessile with 
Shortly decurrent base, the middle cnes 15-20 em long, 4.5-6 cm broad, pinnatifid 
nearly down to costa into 20-30 pairs of linear-subfaleate, obtuse segments under 
the caudate, entire apex 2-4 cm long; segments 2.5-4 cm long, less than 1 cm broad 
at base with 13-17 pairs of biforked and very prominent veins, of which the pos- 
terior basal one springing from costa and 2-3-4-forked, the anterior basal one, from 
the costule of segment, biforked, with veinlets running to the margin some dis- 
tance above the sharp, callous sinus; texture chartaceous, clear light green, gla- 
brous on both sides, except a few brownish, thick, articulated hairs underneath, 
costa pale-colored, terete below, deeply sulcate and with one stout spine at the base 
of costule of segment above; sori continuous from near the sinus up to a short way 
from the sterile entire apex of segment, indusium membranaceous, gray, entire. 
Numerous specimens have been seen from Kwangtung, Islands Hongkong 
and Hainan, Fukien, Chekiang, Hupeh, Yunnan, Szechwan and Kwangsi, besides 
Formosa, Japan, French Indo-China. A complete enumeration will appear later 
in my ‘Studies of Chinese Ferns.’ 
The present species has previously been generally considered the same as 
Pieris quadriaurita Retz. from Ceylon, the type of which, I had a chance to ex- 
amine some years ago, is very different from our fern in general habit, but perfect- 
ly identical with Pteris otaria Bedd. Ferns S. Ind. t. 41, 219. Our plate is based 
upon a specimen from Kwangtung (leg. Y. K. Wang No. 31655) and represents 
what Hieronymus has considered var. rigida, l.c. p. 346., a form, common in 
South China, which differs, according to its author, from the Formosan type (leg. 
Faurie No. 628) in clear light green leaves and more prominently raised veinlets on 
both sides; but ample material from the region has convinced me that a varietal 
name is hardly justified. It is possible, however, that some specimens from Sze- 
chwan and Kweichow which have more pairs of lateral pinne with much longer, 
linear caudate apices, may prove specifically distinct from the form from South 
China. 
Plate 140. Fig. r. Habit sketch (natural size). 2. Two segments, showing venation and sori 
(x 4). 3. A portion of pinna, showing the stout spines at the base of costules above (x 2). 
