Polystichum hartwegii (Klotzsch) Hieron.
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Authority
Mickel, John T. & Beitel, Joseph M. 1988. Pteridophyte Flora of Oaxaca, Mexico. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 46: 1-580.
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Family
Dryopteridaceae
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Scientific Name
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Description
Species Description - Rhizome erect, mostly 2-4 cm diam.; rhizome scales and those of stipe base 8-15 (-20) mm long, 1-2(-3.5) mm wide, brown and concolorous, or often slightly bicolorous with central stripe dark brown (infrequently nearly black) and margin lighter brown, linear-lanceolate, entire to long-ciliate; fronds clumped; stipe 20-50 cm long, 1/3-½ the frond length, stramineous, reddish at base, with scattered, spreading, linear-lanceolate scales and appressed, tan scales 0.5-2(-7) mm long, 0.1-0.5 mm wide, with base fimbriate; blade bipinnate, deltate-lanceolate, 35-90 cm long, chartaceous to subcoriaceous; pinnae mostly 10-25 cm long, 2.2-3.5(-4.5) cm wide; pinnules incised acroscopically, often with a nearly free, obovate, somewhat enlarged basal lobe and several additional dentate lobes, each lobe spinulose at tip, pinnules on basiscopic side entire and cuneate at base, serrate to serrately incised at middle and toward apex, serrations spinulose, margins not inrolled; costae abaxially densely fibrillose-scaly, scales 1-3 mm long, 0.1-1 mm wide, adaxially glabrous except at base of pinnules, sparsely fibrillose-scaly on veins, with scales long, twisted, hairlike, 0.5-1 mm long abaxially, glabrous adaxially; sori discrete, not confluent with age; indusia caducous to subpersistent, brownish, 0.5-1 mm diam.
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Discussion
Aspidium hartwegii Klotzsch, Linnaea 20: 366. 1847. Type. Guatemala. “In montibus Las Nubes, prope Urbam” [nr. Guatemala City], Hartweg 631 (B!; isotypes BM!, K!, P! —2 sheets). Polystichum grande Fée, Mém. foug. 8: 98. 1857. Type. Mexico. Veracruz: Huatusco, Schaffner 217 (not found at P; probable isotype K labeled “Orizaba”). This is the most common species of Polystichum in Oaxaca. See P. drepanoides and P. fournieri for discussion of differences. The deeply incised pinnules, weakly bicolorous scales, 1015 mm long with ciliate margins, slightly reduced basal pinnae, small (0.5-1 mm) brown indusia and costae with dense brown scales (especially at the pinnule base) 1-3 mm long, 0.1-1 mm wide, separate P. hartwegii from P. rachichlaena, P. erythrosorum, P. distans and P. ordinatum. Polystichum muricatum (Linnaeus) Fée from Chiapas to Panama and South America has distinctly bicolorous scales, 7-10 mm long, 1-2 mm wide with entire margins, large, pale scales running up the stipe (7-8 mm long, 3-6 mm wide) mixed with long, hairlike scales (1-3(-9) mm long, 0.3-0.5 mm wide). Two specimens, Mickel 3728 (Ixtlán, 1850-2100 m) and Mickel 4678 (Mixe, 1850-2600 m), are intermediate between P. hartwegii and P. ordinatum, and may represent hybrids. See P. smithii for a similar taxon with small indusia but rhizome scales ovate, pale brown and with erose-denticulate margin.
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Distribution
Terrestrial in wet forest; Choa-pan, Ixtlán, Juquila, Mixe, Putla, Teotitlán, Villa Alta; (900-)1200-2250(-2450) m. Mexico (Ver, Pue, Oax, Chis); Guat to CR.
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