Elaphoglossum laxisquama Mickel

Vasco, A., 2011, Taxonomic revision of Elaphoglossum subsection Muscosa (Dryopteridaceae), Blumea 56 (2), pp. 165-202 : 183-185

7. Elaphoglossum laxisquama Mickel — Fig. 1g , 8 ; Map 8

Elaphoglossum laxisquama Mickel (1991) 141. — Type: Young 1741 (holo NY; iso USM n.v.), Peru, San Martín, Prov. Mariscal Cáceres, Puerta del Monte, Río Abiseo Nat. Park , [7°45'S, 77°15'W], 3400 m, 19 Nov. 1985.

Plants terrestrial. Rhizome 3 –7 mm wide, long-creeping, ascendant; rhizome scales 7–11 mm long, linear, maroon to dark brown, sometimes darker at the centre, denticulate to ciliate (teeth up to 0.7 mm), base cordate (appearing peltate because of the large auricles), apex acuminate. Sterile leaves 15– 55(– 66) cm long, approximate to up to 1 cm apart; phyllopodia present, sometimes obscured by the petiole-base scales; petiole 9 – 32(–41) cm long, 3/5– 2/3 the length of the sterile leaves; larger petiole scales 5 –8 mm long, dense, spreading, linear-lanceolate to lanceolate, orange to brown, mottled, sometimes black in the centre or in the apical portion (including the cilia), long-ciliate (up to 11 mm), base cordate (appearing peltate because of the large auricles), short-stalked (c. 0.1 mm), apex acuminate to filiform; smaller petiole scales 0.3 – 2.5 mm long, dense, spreading, oftentimes hidden by the larger ones, lanceolate to round, orange to brown, long-ciliate, base cordate, apex acuminate to filiform; lamina 6– 25 by 2 –3.5 cm, linear-oblong to oblanceolate, coriaceous, glabrescent with age, base truncate to broadly cuneate, apex obtuse to acute; veins 1–1.5 mm apart, at an angle of 70–80° with respect to the costa; adaxial laminar scales 0.5– 3 mm long, scattered to dense, not imbricate, oblanceolate to round, orange to brown, mottled, sometimes black in the centre or in the apical portion (including the cilia), long-ciliate, base cordate, apex acuminate to filiform; abaxial laminar scales 0.2 –1.5 mm long, scattered to dense, not imbricate, patent, lanceolate to oblanceolate, funnelform throughout (without flattened body), orange to brown, long-ciliate, base inrolled; abaxial costal scales 0.5 – 3 mm long, dense, pointing at right angles, slightly elevated to patent, oblanceolate, orange to brown, mottled, sometimes black in the centre or in the apical portion (including the cilia), long-ciliate, base truncate, short-stalked (up to 0.2 mm), apex acuminate to filiform; marginal scales 0.5 –1 mm long, dense, patent, ovate to round, orange to brown, mottled, sometimes black in the apical portion or just the apical cilia black, long-ciliate, base truncate, short-stalked (up to 0.1 mm), apex acuminate to filiform. Fertile

183 leaves longer than the sterile leaves; petiole 3/4 the length of the fertile leaves; petiole scales same as the ones of the sterile leaves but the larger ones more spreading; lamina 5–16 by 1–2.5 cm, narrowly elliptic to oblong, coriaceous, base truncate to broadly cuneate, apex obtuse to acute; adaxial laminar scales 0.5 –3 mm long, dense to scattered, not elevated to elevated above the surface of the lamina, oblanceolate to round, orange to brown, mottled, sometimes black in the apical portion or just the apical cilia black, long-ciliate, base truncate, short-stalked (up to 0.1 mm), apex acuminate to filiform; abaxial costal scales 1–5 mm long, dense, oblanceolate to round, orange to brown, mottled, sometimes black in the apical portion or just the apical cilia black, long-ciliate, base cordate, short-stalked (up to 0.1 mm), apex acuminate to filiform; intersporangial scales 0.5 –1.5 mm long, scattered, oblanceolate to round, orange to brown, mottled, sometimes black in the apical portion or just the apical cilia black, long-ciliate, base cordate, short-stalked (up to 0.1 mm), apex acuminate to filiform. Spores papillate, with ridges.

Distribution — Colombia, Ecuador, Peru; 2400 –3800 m. Terrestrial in montane forest and páramos.

Selection of other specimens examined. COLOMBIA, Cauca, c. 28 km E of Totoró, 2°33'N, 76°10'W, 3075 m, 6 May 1984, Luteyn et al. 10179 (JAUM, NY).– ECUADOR, Cañar, road from Gualeceo to Limón, 2°59'58"S, 78°39'36"W, 3410 m, 2 Mar. 2005, Moran et al. 7588 (NY). Carchi, Canton Montufar, Guandera Reserve,c. 6 km E of Fernández Salvador, 0°36'N, 77°42'W, 3500 m, 2 July 1996, Wilson et al. 2812 (UC). Loja, Cerro Toledo, E of Yangana, between Loja and Valladolid, 4°23'S, 79°07'W, 3000–3100 m, 26 Oct. 2004, Lehnert et al. 1457, 1461 (NY, UC). Napo, Oyacachi, 5 km después del paso, bosques en las márgenas de la carretera, 0°12'S, 78°06'W, 3500 m, 28 Dec. 1996, Navarrete 1373 (NY). – PERU, Cusco, Prov. La Convención, Huayopata, in part of the Pistipata drainage called Puncuyo, 10 km SW of Incatambo, 2400 m, 6 Oct. 1982, Peyton 1442 (MO). Pasco, Parque Nacional Yanachaga-Chemillen,Abra Yanachaga, 10°22'S, 75°27'W, 2870–3200 m, 12 June 2003, Vásquez et al. 28162 (NY, UC). San Martín, Prov. Mariscal Cáceres, small forest patch, above timberline, Chochos, 3400 m, 24 Nov. 1985, Young 2536 (NY).

Notes — Elaphoglossum laxisquama can be distinguished by its long-creeping, erect rhizomes, long-ciliate petiole and laminar scales, and papillate, ridged spores. This is the only species of subsect. Muscosa in which some of the petiole and laminar scales have black or mottled tips (including the cilia) ( Fig. 8c, h ). This is a different colour pattern compared to other species of the subsection which, when bicolorous, have their centres black and the margins, including the cilia, lighter. Also, the abaxial laminar scales of this species are unique within subsect. Muscosa because they are patent and funnelform throughout their length, without a flattened body ( Fig. 8f ). Scales of all other species of the subsect. Muscosa that have inrolled or stalked base are never inrolled apically, thus the body of the scale remains flat and parallel (or nearly so) to the lamina surface (i.e. Fig. 5e, f ).

Some specimens (e.g., Wilson et al. 2812, UC) have rhizome scales that are lighter and more oblanceolate than the typical ones, which are maroon to dark-brown and linear lanceolate. Also, the larger petiole scales of these specimens are more oblanceolate than the typical E. laxisquama petiole scales, which tend to be linear-lanceolate to lanceolate. However, these specimens have the typical dark-tipped, funnelform laminar scales that distinguish E. laxisquama from all other species of subsect. Muscosa . For these reasons I considered the specimens as belonging to this species.

Figures

Map 8 Distribution of Elaphoglossum laxisquama 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.

Fig. 8 Elaphoglossum laxisquama Mickel. a. Habit; b. rhizome scale; c. larger petiole scale; d. smaller petiole scale; e. abaxial laminar surface; f. abaxial laminar scale; g. adaxial fertile laminar surface; h. adaxial fertile laminar scale; i. abaxial fertile lamina (all: Vásquez 28162, NY)

Fig. 5 Elaphoglossum engelii (H.Karst.) Christ. a. Habit; b. rhizome scale; c. larger petiole scale; d. smaller petiole scale; e. abaxial laminar surface; f. abaxial laminar scale; g. adaxial laminar surface; h. adaxial laminar scale; i. fertile lamina (all: Rentería 5387, HUA).