Woodsia kungiana Li Bing Zhang, T. N. Lu & X. F. Gao 2019, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Lu, Ngan Thi
name: Peng, Yu-Lan
name: Gao, Xin-Fen
name: Zhang, Li-Bing
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2019
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Plantae
Tracheophyta
Polypodiopsida
Polypodiales
Woodsiaceae
Woodsia
Woodsia kungiana

description: Woodsia kungiana Li Bing Zhang, T.N.Lu & X.F.Gao, sp. nov. Fig. 1.
Type:— CHINA. Sichuan Province: Kangding County, Sanhe Township, Pengta Village, 30.4420766 N, 102.361078 E, elev. 4080 m, 15 August, 2017. Gao Xin-Fen & Yang Yan THP-KD-4887 (holotype CDBI!, isotype CDBI!)
Diagnosis:—This new species is most similar to Woodsia cycloloba Handel-Mazzetti (1929: 19) in having creeping rhizomes, stipes blackish purple, lustrous and brittle, and laminae 1-pinnate with conform apex, but the new species has rachises with articulate hairs and linear-filiform scales, adaxial laminar surface and margins with a few articulate hairs, and indusia serrated and cup-like; in contrast, the latter has rachises with articulate hairs but rarely with linear-filiform scales, adaxial laminar surface and margins with dense articulate hairs, and indusia absent.
Plants 1.5–6 cm tall. Roots to 13 cm long, 0.25–0.5 mm in diam. Rhizomes creeping, ca. 0.5 cm wide, scaly; scales often uniformly brown and bicolored with dark central stripe and pale brown margins, glossy, lanceolate, 0.1–0.5 × 1–2 mm, basally attached, entire to irregularly toothed, tips filiform. Fronds not clustered; stipe continuous (lacking articulation), black-purple, glossy, fragile, brittle, short, the longest 3 cm, ca. 0.4 mm wide, scales on lower part similar to those on rhizome, with sparse articulate hairs, articulate hairs on upper part linear-filiform, 0.1–0.4 × 1.5–2.5 mm, entire; laminae 1–pinnate, lanceolate, 1.2–2.5 × 0.7–1.5 cm, herbaceous, brownish-dull green when dried, not reduced at base, the biggest the lowest or middle, terminal pinna apex conform, both sides of laminae with articulate hairs; rachis with articulate hairs and linear-filiform scales; pinnae often (2–)4(–5) pairs, rounded or orbiculate, 0.6–1.9 × 0.4–1.5 cm, sessile, alternate to sub-opposite, base truncate-cordate, apex rounded or obtuse, margin entire to undulate, rarely slightly crenate; veins onceforked, reaching or almost reaching to margin. Sori orbicular, medial, 4–9 per pinna; sporangia large, ca. 0.5 mm in diameter, brown, membranous, globose; indusia serrated, cup-like or sometimes sori exindusiate. Spores large ca. 0.09 mm, brown to dark brown.
Etymology:— In honor of the late Prof. Hsian-Shiu Kung based at the herbarium CDBI, a specialist of pteridophytes and the author of Flora Sichuanica vol. 6 (pteridophytes; Kung 1988). Together with colleagues, he also described Woodsia kangdingensis H. S. Kung, Li Bing Zhang & X. S. Guo (1995: 421). Under his supervision the senior author L.B.Z. obtained his degree of M.Sc. in 1990.
Geographical distribution:— Woodsia kungiana is currently known from three counties (Baoxing, Dujiangyan, Kangding) in Sichuan, China.
Notes:— Morphologically, Woodsia kungiana is obviously a member of W. subg. Eriosorus (Ching 1932: 134) Shmakov (2003: 59). This subgenus is characterized by having stipe and rachis castaneous, stipes not articulate (but continuous), stipe scales bicolorous, lamina apex conform, and sori exindusiate or with hairy indusia, and is recognized in a recent classification (Lu et al., submitted). Phylogenetically W. kungiana was resolved as sister to W. cycloloba. Zhang et al. (2013) described W. cycloloba as “indusia absent or composed of ciliate, platelike, small lobes”. However, our microscopic examination of three accessions of W. cycloloba showed that the sori of W. cycloloba are exindusiate, consistent with the description in the protologue (Handel-Mazzetti 1929).
Additional material examined:— CHINA. Sichuan Province: Baoxing (Mupin), Mt. Jiajin, elev. 4050 m, Liang Zhang & J. A. van de Veire 1529 (CDBI!). Sichuan Province: Dujiangyan, Bo Xu et al. 7302 (CDBI!).
description: Published as part of Lu, Ngan Thi, Peng, Yu-Lan, Gao, Xin-Fen & Zhang, Li-Bing, 2019, Woodsia kungiana sp. nov. (Woodsiaceae), a new fern from Sichuan, China, pp. 253-256 in Phytotaxa 397 (3) on pages 253-255, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.397.3.5, http://zenodo.org/record/13712963