Elaphoglossum oculatum Mickel

Vasco, A., 2011, Taxonomic revision of Elaphoglossum subsection Muscosa (Dryopteridaceae), Blumea 56 (2), pp. 165-202 : 192

11. Elaphoglossum oculatum Mickel — Fig. 1k , 12; Map 12

Elaphoglossum oculatum Mickel (1991) 150. — Type: Hutchison 1629 (holo U; iso GH), Peru, Piura, Prov. Huancabamba, above Huancabamba, road to Canchaque , [5°14'S, 79°27'W], 3100 m, 10 Oct. 1957.

Plants epiphytic. Rhizome 3 – 5 mm wide, compact; rhizome scales 5 –10 mm long, linear-lanceolate, dark brown, darker at the centre, denticulate, base truncate, apex acuminate. Sterile leaves 22– 35 cm long, approximate; phyllopodia present, obscured by the petiole-base scales; petiole 8 –13 cm long, 2/5 the length of the sterile leaves; larger petiole scales 3 – 4.5 mm long, dense, ascending, ovate, with the point of attachment dark brown, or mottled with lighter margin, erose to laciniate, base cordate, apex acute; smaller petiole scales 0.2 –1 mm long, dense, ovate to round, with the point of attachment dark brown, or mottled with lighter margin, erose to laciniate, base cordate, apex acute; lamina 13– 22 by 3 – 4 cm, oblong to oblanceolate, coriaceous, glabrescent, base broadly cuneate to rounded, apex obtuse; veins 1–1.5 mm apart, at an angle of 75– 80° with respect to the costa; adaxial laminar scales 0.2 – 0.5 mm long, scattered, round, some highly dissected, white to light brown, long-ciliate, base cordate to truncate; abaxial laminar scales 0.2 – 0.5 mm long, scattered, round, some highly dissected, light brown, long-ciliate, base cordate to truncate; abaxial costal scales 0.5 –1.5 mm long, dense, pointing forward to the apex, not elevated, ovate to round, dark brown or mottled with white margin, laciniate to ciliate, base strongly cordate, apex acute; marginal scales 0.5 –1.5 mm long, dense, obovate to oblanceolate, light brown to slightly mottled, laciniate, base cordate to short-stalked (up to 0.1 mm), apex acute. Fertile leaves longer than the sterile leaves; petiole 1/2 – 3/5 the length of the fertile leaves; petiole scales same as the ones of the sterile leaves; lamina 8 –19 by 1– 2 cm, narrowly elliptic to oblong, coriaceous, base broadly cuneate to truncate, apex obtuse; adaxial laminar scales 0.5–1.5 mm long, dense, oblanceolate to round, dark brown or mottled with lighter margin, laciniate to ciliate, base cordate, apex acute; abaxial costal scales 0.5– 2 mm long, dense, imbricate, not elevated, oblanceolate to round, orange, laciniate to ciliate, base cordate, apex acute; intersporangial scales 0.5–1.5 mm long, dense, almost covering the sporangia, oblanceolate to round, orange, ciliate, base cordate to truncate, apex filiform to acute. Spores papillate, with ridges.

Distribution — Peru, known only from two collections from Piura, Prov. Huancabamba; 3000 – 3100 m. Epiphytic in cloud forests.

Other specimen examined. PERU, Piura, Prov.Huancabamba,above Canchaque on road to Huancabamba ,below summit,[5°14'S, 79°27'W], 3000 m, 10 Oct. 1957, Hutchison 1651 ( UC, USM) .

Notes — Elaphoglossum oculatum can be distinguished by its large petiole scales that are ovate, have a dark point of attachment, and are mottled with a white margin. Furthermore, the laminar scales are 0.2 – 0.5 mm long, round, highly dissected, long-ciliate, and the abaxial costal scales are dark brown or mottled with white margin. The spores are ridged and papillate. The laminar scales are more abundant on the abaxial surface, but they are so small that the surfaces appear glabrous to the naked eye.

This species is similar to E. corderoanum but differs by its shorter (0.2– 0.5 mm long) laminar scales and dark-brown abaxial costal scales. Elaphoglossum corderoanum has larger (0.5 –2.5 mm long) laminar scales and light-brown abaxial costal scales.

Elaphoglossum oculatum is only known from two collections collected in north-western Peru, in a cloud forest at 3000– 3100 m. The two paratypes of E. oculatum ( Mickel 1991) , Woykowski 35433 (UC, US) and Soukup 176 (F), are E. bellermannianum .

Figures

Map 12 Distribution of Elaphoglossum oculatum Mickel (:) and E. ruficomum Mickel ($).

Fig. 1 Spores of Elaphoglossum subsect. Muscosa. a. E. aschersonii; b. E. bellermannianum; c. E. corderoanum; d. E. engelii; e. E. gardnerianum; f. E. glabrescens; g. E. laxisquama; h. E. lehmannianum; i. E. muscosum; j. E. novogranatense; k. E. oculatum; l. E. oreophilum; m. E. quisqueyanum; n. E. ruficomum; o. E. yatesii (a: Moran 7645, NY; b: Meier 302, NY; c: Holm-Nielsen 3260, AAU; d: Sánchez 465, US; e: Wacket 186, UC; f: Buchtien 2725, US; g: Vásquez 28162, NY;h: Ruíz-Terán 976, NY;i: Underwood 3212, NY;j: Vasco 746, NY; k: Hutchison 1629, UC;l: Holm-Nielsen 19071, AAU; m: Zanoni 20917, NY;n: Sagástegui 12091, NY; o: Navarrete 1402, NY). — Scale bars = 10 µm.