ICONES FILICUM SINICARUM 
PLATE 141 
PTERIS DACTYLINA Hooker 
POLYPODIACEA 
PTERIS DACTYLINA Hooker, Sp. Fil. 2: 160 t. 180A (1858); Syn. Fil. 155 (1867); Baker, 
Journ. Bot. (1888) 226; Diels in Engl. u. Prantl: Nat. Pflanzenfam. 1: 4. 292 
(1899); Christ, Bull. Acad. Géogr. Bot. (1906) 130; C. Chr. Ind. Fil. 596 (1905) ; 
Acta Hort. Gothob. 1: 96 (1924); Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 28: 311 (1931) ; 
Hand-Mzt. Symb. Sin. 6: 40 (1929); Clarke, Trans. Linn. Soc. IL. Bot. 1: 463 
(1880); Bedd. Ferns Brit. Ind. t. 23 (1865); Handb. Ferns, Brit. Ind. etc. 107 
(1888). 
Rhizome short-creeping, matted, glabrous except a few subulate, rufo-brown 
scales at growing tips; fronds numerous, tufted, stipe 15-30 cm long, slender, wiry, 
glossy, pale straminous, perfect glabrous throughout, shaded dark brown in the 
lower part, lamina digitate, consisting of 5-7, or rarely 3 linear elengate pinne 5- 
10 cm long, 5-7 mm broad with deeply sulcate costa above, the barren ones sharp- 
ly serrate towards apices; veins widely apart, distinct, simple or bifurcate, vein- 
lets rather patent, ended in a distinct clavate hydathode some distance below the 
base of tooth: indusium gray, broad, continuous. subentire, persistent. 
Yunnan: Schilungba, Handle-Mazzetti 275; Forrest 287, 5983, 12445, 28569, 
Likiang, Schneider 2969; Delavay 1720, August, 7, 1883; J. F. Rock 4854. Kansu: 
F. N. Meyer 20106. Szechwan: Mt. Omei, Faber 1010; Wilson 5274; Teng-hsiang- 
ying, Harry Smith 1993; between Hai-tang and Ping-yi-pu, Harry Smith 1942. Ti- 
bet: Muti, Capt. Kingdon Ward 4773. 
Also Sikkim-Himalayas, common 
Type from Sikkim (leg. Drs. Hooker & Thomson). One of the most remarka- 
bly graceful slender fern of the group of Pteris cretica T.. and is closely related to 
P. stenophylla Wall., differs in generally 5-7 much narrower pinne on very wiry 
slender sfipe and in its densely tufted leaves. As already pointed out by Hooker 
(Sp. Fil. 2: 161), the frond of this fern is not strictly digitately dissected but is con- 
structed on the same plane as is P. cretica, except the petiole of the central pinna 
is either totally suppressed or arrested from lengthening out as in the other species. 
Plate 141. Fig. 1. Habit sketch (natural size). 2. Portion of feztile pinna (x 8). 3. Portion of 
sterile pinna (x Io). 
