Tectaria griffithii (Baker) C. Christensen (1934: 180)

Ding, Hui-Hui, Chao, Yi-Shan & Dong, Shi-Yong, 2013, Taxonomic novelties in the fern genus Tectaria (Tectariaceae), Phytotaxa 122 (1), pp. 61-64 : 61-62

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scientific name	Tectaria griffithii (Baker) C. Christensen (1934: 180)
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Tectaria griffithii (Baker) C. Christensen (1934: 180) .

Basionym :— Nephrodium griffithii Baker in Hooker & Baker (1867: 300). Type :— MYANMAR. Without locality, without date, Griffith s.n. (holotype K!) .

= Nephrodium yunnanense Baker (1906: 11) View in CoL ; Tectaria yunnanensis (Baker) Ching (1931: 24) , syn. nov. Type:— CHINA. Yunnan: Mengtze, Red river mountains, without date, Hancock 193 (holotype K!).

Note:— Tectaria griffithii has long been confused with T. multicaudata ( Clarke 1880: 540) Ching (1931: 20) . Both Ching (1931) and Holttum (1991a, b) considered the two species as conspecific, albeit Ching (1931) took T. multicaudata as the accepted name while Holttum (1991a, b) adopted T. griffithii . In fact, T. griffithii and T. multicaudata are distinct in the venation pattern. The holotype of T. griffithii (Griffith s.n., K) is characterized by having fully anastomosing veins, vein areoles mostly with free veinlets included, and lacking costal or costular areoles ( Fig. 1a View FIGURE 1 ). The holotype of T. multicaudata (Clarke 18427, K) has partly anastomosing veins that form narrow areoles immediately beside costae or costules, without included free veinlets (or rarely occurring) in areoles ( Fig. 1b View FIGURE 1 ). Noticeably, the feature of venation was clearly stated in the protologues of T. griffithii and T. multicaudata . Baker described the venation of T. griffithii as having “main veins distinct to the edge, with copious free included veinlets” ( Hooker & Baker 1867: 300). For the venation of T. multicaudata, Clarke stated that “I can see little difference in the venation and sori between this and Nephrodium cicutarium var. coadunata ” ( Clarke 1880: 540). As we know, N. cicutarium var. coadunata mentioned by Clarke is nowadays T. coadunata ( Smith 1842: 184) C. Christensen (1931: 331) , which is characterized by veins forming costal and costular areoles lacking free included veinlets ( Holttum 1991a). Unfortunately, later authors ignored the easily recognizable difference of venation between the two species. It is notable that the venation in such two conditions (costal areoles present or not) is the sole difference between two sections of Tectaria proposed by Holttum (1988, 1991a). According to Holttum’s subdivision of Tectaria , T. multicaudata should be grouped into sect. Sagenia, whereas T. griffithii to sect. Tectaria .

Tectaria yunnanensis is included here in T. griffithii . When comparing the holotypes of both species, we found that they are similar in nearly all important characters, such as coarsely dissected fronds, fully anastomosing veins without costal or costular areoles, large sori in two rows between main veins, and sori rather deeply impressed on abaxial surface of lamina. They doubtless represent a single species. It is also noticed that there are no scales above the base of stipes in this species. Scaly stipes, previously considered a diagnostic character of T. griffithii (e.g., Holttum 1988, Tagawa & Iwatsuki 1988, Wang 1999), is actually a characteristic feature of T. multicaudata .

References

Baker, J. G. (1906) Filices Chinensis, in Decades Kewenses XXXVI-XL. Bulletin of Miscellaneous Information Kew 1906: 8 - 15.

Ching, R. - C. (1931) The studies of Chinese ferns VII, a revision of the genus Tectaria from China and Sikkim-Himalaya. Sinensia 2: 9 - 36.

Christensen, C. (1931) Asiatic Pteridophyta collected by Joseph F. Rock 1920 - 1924. Contributions from the United States National Herbarium 26: 265 - 337.

Christensen, C. (1934) Index Filicum, Supplement tertium. H. Hagerup, Copenhagen, 219 pp.

Clarke, C. B. (1880) A revision of the ferns of northern India. The Transactions of the Linnean Society of London II, Botany 1: 425 - 611.

Holttum, R. E. (1988) Studies in the fern genera allied to Tectaria Cav. VII, species of Tectaria sect. Sagenia (Presl) Holttum in Asia excluding Malesia. Kew Bulletin 43: 475 - 489. http: // dx. doi. org / 10.2307 / 4118979

Holttum, R. E. (1991 a) Flora Malesiana, series II, Pteridophyta, vol. 2, part 1, Tectaria group. Rijksherbarium / Hortus Botanicus, Leiden, 132 pp.

Hooker, W. J. & Baker, J. G. (1867) Synopsis filicum. London, 482 pp.

Smith, J. (1842) Arrangement and definition of the genera of ferns, with observations on the affinities of each genus. Hooker's Journal of Botany 4: 147 - 198.

Tagawa, M. & Iwatsuki, K. (1988) Flora of Thailand, vol. 3, part 3. Forest Herbarium, Bangkok, 170 pp.

Wang, C. - H. (1999). Aspidiaceae. In: Wu, S. H. (ed.) Flora Reipublicae Popularis Sinicae, vol. 6, part 1. Science Press, Beijing, pp. 1 - 103.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Comparison of the venation between Tectaria griffithii (Baker) C.Chr. (a) and T. multicaudata (C.B.Clarke) Ching (b). a) Portion of a pinnule on basal pinna, based on the holotype of T. griffithii (Griffith s.n., K); b) portion of a pinnule on basal pinna, based on the holotype of T. multicaudata (Clarke 18427, K).