Abstract
The occurrence of the very rare and little-known fern, Dryopteris lunanensis (Christ) C.Chr., in India is reported for the first time. A detailed description and photographs of the species are provided along with notes on its distribution. A second-step lectotype has also been designated.
Highlights
The genus Dryopteris Adans. (Dryopteridaceae) is one of the most widespread fern genera with approximately 350 species worldwide (Fraser-Jenkins 1986; POWO 2021) and has high species diversity in subtropical montane regions, though the genus extends northwards into boreal regions as well
Dryopteris in India is represented by 66 species and seven hybrids (Fraser-Jenkins 1989; Fraser-Jenkins et al 2018), excluding the distinct Dryopteridaceous genera, Peranema, Nothoperanema, and Dryopsis, in contrast to a recent cladonomic oversimplification by Zhang (2012) and Zhang & Zhang (2012) artificially intended to avoid paraphyly
After critically observing its morphological characters, it was immediately identified as D. lunanensis by the second author from his familiarity with collections of the species in China and Bhutan
Summary
The genus Dryopteris Adans. (Dryopteridaceae) is one of the most widespread fern genera with approximately 350 species worldwide (Fraser-Jenkins 1986; POWO 2021) and has high species diversity in subtropical montane regions, though the genus extends northwards into boreal regions as well. Dryopteris lunanensis (Christ) C.Chr., a distinctive species in Sect. Hirtipedes, was detailed from a single collection in Bhutan by Fraser-Jenkins (1989), augmented by a second Bhutanese collection, but was not previously collected in India.
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