Family

Dryopteridaceae

Nomenclature

Teratophyllum ludens (Fée) Holttum, Gard. Bull. Straits Settlem. 5: 298, pl. 10, f. 23–28, 31, 35, 46–47. 1932; Holttum, Rev. Fl. Malaya ed. 1, 2: 474, f. 278. 1955 [‘1954’]; Holttum, Fl. Males., Ser. II, Pterid. 1: 275, f. 6a–e. 1978; Tagawa & K.Iwats., Acta Phytotax. Geobot. 24: 62. 1969; Tagawa & K.Iwats., Fl. Thailand 3: 324, f. 27.7. 1988; Boonkerd & Pollawatn, Pterid. Thailand: 188. 2000. – Lomariopsis ludens Fée, Hist. Acrost.: 70, t. 30. 1845.

Description

Rhizome long creeping, about 5 mm diam., sparsely prickly, scaly at apex; scales small, about 1 mm long, with irregular projections at margin. Stipes swollen at base, glabrescent, 5–20 cm long. Sterile frond of two kinds; young frond or bathyphyll pinnate, with pinnae articulated, rachis slightly winged; 2.5–7.5 cm long adult frond or acrophyll simply pinnate, all pinnae jointed to rachis. Bathyphylls 2.5–7.5 cm long; pinnae smaller towards base, 0.5–3 cm long, ovate, cuneate at base, blunt at apex, subentire or crenate at margin at upper portion. Acrophylls: lamina up to 45 by 25 cm; pinnae about 10 pairs, 13–15 by 2–4.5 cm, narrowly elliptic, cuneate at base, acuminate at apex; subcoriaceous, margin not thickened, involute in dried specimens; fertile pinnae up to 20 cm by 3 mm, stalked .

Distribution in Thailand

CENTRAL: Nakhon Nayok; PENINSULAR: Surat Thani, Nakhon Si Thammarat.

Wider Distribution

Burma, Peninsular Malaysia, and Borneo.

Ecology

Climbing trees in evergreen forests along streams at low to medium altitudes.

Proposed IUCN Conservation Assessment

Least Concern (LC). This species is widespread and not under any known threat.

Voucher specimens - Thailand

Middleton et al. 5537, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Khao Luang National Park (E).