Family

Pteridaceae, subfamily Cheilanthoideae

Nomenclature

Cheilanthes formosana Hayata, Enum. Pl. Formos. 5: 612. 1906; Boonkerd & Pollawatn, Pterid. Thailand: 120. 2000. – Aleuritopteris formosana (Hayata) Tagawa, Acta Phytotax. Geobot. 14: 191. 1952; S.K.Wu, Mem. Fac. Sci. Kyoto Univ. Biol. 8: 155. 1983.

Cheilanthes farinosa auct. non (Forssk.) Kaulf.: Tagawa & K.Iwats., Fl. Thailand 3: 203. 1985, p.p.

Description

Rhizome short, erect to ascending, scaly; scales black in centre, margins paler, narrowly ovate. Stipes 5–12(–23) cm long, dark purplish to castaneous, polished, scaly at base; scales lanceolate, thin, blackish in centre and brownish at marginal portion. Laminae bipinnate, 5–10(–17) by 2–7 cm, oblong to lanceolate, covered with white or yellow waxy powder on lower surface; pinnae 4–6 pairs. Indusia free, not or slightly lacerate at margin .

Distribution in Thailand

NORTHERN: Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Lamphun.

Wider Distribution

Taiwan.

Ecology

On rocks in light shade in mixed deciduous forests at medium altitude.

Proposed IUCN Conservation Assessment

Data Deficient (DD). There is considerable taxonomic confusion in the genus Cheilanthes making accurate conservation assessments of many of the species difficult.

Notes

Cheilanthes is a difficult genus that needs more taxonomic research.