Origin of Dryopteris shibipedis (Dryopteridaceae), a fern species extinct in the wild

Dryopteris shibipedis was once treated as an extinct species in the Red List (2007) by the Japanese Ministry of the Environment, but 'rediscovered' in the Tsukuba Botanical Garden. To clarify its origin, using 'overlooked' cultivated stocks we analyzed nuclear PgiC intron sequences. As the PgiC genotype of D. shibipedis can be explained by a combination of alleles of D. kinkiensis and those of D. pacifica, the hypothesis of hybrid origin of the species is supported.