ICONES FILICUM SINICARUM 
PIPATTEE: 234 
POLYSTICHUM EXCELLENS Ching 
ASPIDIACEZ 
POLYSTICHUM EXCELLENS Ching, sp. nov. 
Species gregis Polystichi Diels Christ, lamina multo latiora, pinnis lateralibus longioribus, apice acutis, 
marginibus usque ad apicem leviter crenatis, sori supra costam plerumque 6-8, infra costam 4-6 insigniter 
diversa. 
Rhizome short, erect, densely radicose and together with stipes densely clothed with rufo-brown nar- 
rowly ovate-lanceolate-fimbriate scales; fronds caespitose, often numerous together, stipe 7-12 cm long, pale 
stramineous, sparsely scaly upward, lamina 20-25 cm long, 3.2-4 cm broad, linear-lanceolate, acuminate, not 
narrowed towards base, pinnate; pinnae 20-28 pairs, petiolulate, pectinate, obliquely patent, gradually ab- 
breviate towards apex, the basal ones not shortened, 2 cm long, 6 mm broad at the base, subfalcately 
thombic-lanceolate, apex acute, mucronate, base uneqal, cut straight below, obliquely truncate above and 
with a low small deltoid mucronate auricle, margin undulato-crenate with a few low teeth ; texture char- 
taceous, dry pale green, rachis and also the under side sparsely scaly; lateral veins about 8 pairs, forked, 
or pinnate in the anterior base, indistinct; sori medial, 6-8 above the costa, 4-6 below, terminal on the 
anterior veinlet of each group, indusium gray, margin lacerate, fallen off at last. 
Southeastern Yunnan: Ping-pien Hsien, Ta-wei Shan, K. M. Feng 5173 (type), 5170, Oct. 26, 1954, 
on limestone cliff under forest, common; Mengtze, Hancock 19 (pro parte). Kweichow: Tsing-chen, 
Tsing-lung Shan, Tang Shi-wei 90397, May 30, 1936; Ecological Survey Party of the Bot. Inst., Academia 
Sinica No. 2001, Oct. 18, 1956, alt. 1150 m.; Pin-fa, Cavalerie 741, 4172 (pro parte). 
There has been a great confusion even by Christ himself as to the identity of Polystichum Dielsti Christ, 
P. hecatopterum Diels and P. pinfaense Christ. The distinction between the first two species has already 
been noted in the previous page, while the distinction between P. pinfaense Christ and our new species 
chiefly lies in the former having much narrower fronds (about 2 cm broad with smaller deltoid pinnae, 
1 cm long, 5 mm broad at the base, margin with a few low teeth) and the sori confined mainly to the 
upper side of the costa, and usually none or only 1-2 below the costa. 
Plate 234. 1. Habit sketch (natural size). 2. Pinna, showing venation and position of sori (X 4). 3. Scale 
from the base of stipe (X 20). 4. Indusium (X 20). 5-6. Sporangium with spores (X 100). 
