Taylor, W. Carl. 1976. Vascular flora of Jonca Creek, Ste Genevieve County, Missouri. Castanea. 41: 93-118.
Dryopteridaceae
Latin Diagnosis - Nervis in interspatiis latis dispositis ad extremitates furcatis eis nervulos commissurales marginales partim formantibus, in superficiebus laminalibus abaxialibus squamis skeletonicis linearibus aurantiacis, in superficiebus laminalibus adaxialibus squamis dissectis pallidis, foliis late lanceolatis atque rhizomatibus tenuibus repentibus distinctum.
Species Description - Rhizomes creeping, 1.5 mm in diameter, densely scaly, the scales lanceolate, lustrous dark orange-brown, 2-3 x 0.5-0.6 mm, denticulate; phyllopodia ca. 3 mm long; leaves ca. 1 mm apart, to 16.5 x 2 cm; petioles 2/3-3/4 the sterile leaf length, pale reddish brown, moderately scaly, the scales lanceolate, ciliate, to 0.7-2 x 0.3-1 mm, orange, the larger scales with darkened apices, spreading; blades broadly lanceolate, chartaceous, apically acute to acuminate, basally attenuate, margins slightly crenulate; veins evident, forked and partly connecting at the margins, 1.5-2.5 mm apart, set at 45-60º to costae, hydathodes lacking; blade scales adaxially moderately dense, ovate to lanceolate, long-ciliate, scale bodies ovate to lanceolate, 0.1-1 x 0.05-0.3 mm, whitish, loosely appressed, abaxially moderately dense, linear-lanceolate, long-ciliate, 0.5-1.5 x 0.1-0.2 mm, orange, loosely appressed, costal scales slightly longer and to 0.5 mm wide, marginal scales ovate-lanceolate, ciliate, to 1.2 x 0.6 mm, orange; fertile leaves unknown.
(Fig. 7 K-R)
This distinctive species is recognized by its widely spaced veins (hence the species epithet) that are forked at the ends and partly form marginal commisural veins, skeletonized, linear, orange scales on the abaxial blade surfaces, dissected, pale scales on the adaxial blade surfaces, broadly lanceolate leaves, and slender, creeping rhizomes. The ciliate blade and petiole scales clearly place this species in section Lepidoglossa subsect. Polylepidea, but we are unable to point out any possible close relatives. The skeletonized blade scales are reminiscent of E. auricomum (Kunze) T. Moore, but that species has such scales also on the blade margins and the peti- oles, and has a different venation pattern. The small size and creeping rhizome are also present in E. mandonii (Mett.) H. Christ, but that species has entire blade scales and truncate leaf bases and is more closely related to E. petiolosum (Desv.) T. Moore and E. murinum M. Kessler & Mickel. Elaphoglossum paucinervium is known only from the type collection made early in the last century in a valley that today is largely deforested.