Dryopteris sukungiana (Dryopteridaceae), a new species of the D. sparsa complex from Southwest China

Dryopteris sukungiana, a new tetraploid fern species of Dryopteridaceae in Yunnan, Southwest China, is described and illustrated. Morphologically, D. sukungiana belongs to the D. sparsa complex but is unique in spreading blackish brown scales on the stipe, glandular hairs and small fibrillose scales on the abaxial surface of the lamina. Phylogenetic analyses show that D. sukungiana is of hybrid origin; its paternal parent is the Sino-Himalayan D. sparsa, and its maternal parent might be an undetected diploid species closely related to the Sino-Japanese D. sparsa.

Automated summary

A new tetraploid fern species, Dryopteris sukungiana, is described and illustrated in Southwest China. It belongs to the D. sparsa complex but is unique in its blackish brown scales on the stipe, glandular hairs, and small fibrillose scales on the abaxial surface of the lamina. Phylogenetic analyses reveal that D. sukungiana is a hybrid species with the Sino-Himalayan D. sparsa as its paternal parent and an undetected diploid species closely related to the Sino-Japanese D. sparsa as its maternal parent.