Dryopteris pentheri (Krasser) C.Chr.

Plants terrestrial or epilithic. Rhizome short-decumbent, sparsely and irregularly branched, to 20 mm in diameter, set with roots, closely spaced stipe bases and scales, the scales stramineous to ferrugineous, chartaceous, broadly attached, linear, oblong or narrowly ovate, to 37 x 6 mm, truncate, the margins irregularly set with long, twisted, pluricellular filiform outgrowths, the scale apex filiform, twisted. Fronds caespitose, erect to arching, to 1.8 m long; stipes proximally castaneous, brown to stramineous higher up, proximally adaxially flattened, shallowly sulcate higher up, to 485 mm long, to 10 mm in diameter, proximally densely scaled, the scales higher up fugaceous, stramineous to ferrugineous, chartaceous, the larger scales to 40 x 7 mm, broadly attached, the smaller scales sessile or short-stalked, narrowly lanceolate to filiform, cordate to cuneate, the margins irregularly set with long, twisted, pluricellular filiform outgrowths and often also with scattered glands, the scale apex filiform; laminae anadromous, catadromous towards the apex, herbaceous to firmly herbaceous, 2-pinnate to 3-pinnate, ovate to ovate-triangular, to 780 mm long, to 460 mm wide, with up to 16 petiolated pinna pairs; rachises stramineous, adaxially shallowly sulcate, becoming narrowly winged towards the apex, initially moderately scaled, the scales fugaceous, broadly attached or short-stalked, narrowly lanceolate to linear, to 7 x 2 mm, cuneate, the margins irregularly set with long, filiform outgrowths, often also with scattered glands, the scale apex filiform, twisted; pinnae petiolate, the petiole to 18 mm (rarely to 38 mm) long, the basal pinna pair inaequilaterally ovate to narrowly ovate, narrowly lanceolate to oblong-acuminate towards the lamina apex, to 315 mm long, to 185 mm wide, to 2-pinnate, the basal pair the longest, mostly basiscopically developed, subopposite to alternate, basally widely spaced, often somewhat imbricate higher up, with up to 9 petiolated pinnule pairs; pinna-rachises adaxially shallowly sulcate, the sulcus confluent with that of the rachis, pronounced abaxially, narrowly winged distally, abaxially moderately to sparsely set with scales and hairs, the scales and hairs stramineous to ferrugineous, chartaceous to membranous, broadly attached or short-stalked, to 5 x 1.6 mm, narrowly to broadly cuneate, the margins irregularly set with long pluricellular, filiform outgrowths, the scale apex filiform, twisted, the hairs are of three types, 1) unicellular cylindrical glands, 2) bicellular hairs with straight or oblique transverse walls, and 3) pluricellular simple or branched, mostly isocytic hairs often bearing a single gland near the base; pinnules petiolate, the petiole to 3 mm long, the pinnules symmetric to inaequilaterally lanceolate to oblong-acuminate, basiscopically decurrent, 1-pinnate to lobed, the acroscopic pinnule on the basal pinnae to 90 mm long, to 35 mm wide, basiscopic pinnule on the basal pinnae to 112 mm long, to 42 mm wide, widely spaced or imbricate; costae adaxially shallowly sulcate, pronounced abaxially, narrowly winged, the wing continuous with that of the pinna-rachis, variously set with scales, isocytic hairs and 2-celled hairs; segments widely spaced to imbricate, ovate to oblong-obtuse, to 22 mm long, to 9 mm wide, basiscopically decurrent, lobed; lobes serrate, adaxially glabrous, with oblong glands along and between the veins, or with a few pluricellular mostly isocytic hairs along the costules, abaxially sparsely set with cylindrical glands (60-)137(-260) µm long, 2-celled hairs, and isocytic and/or moniliform hairs, those near the segment base often with a gland near the base, and filiform scales, the scales short-stalked, the stalk often with one or more glandular cells, hairs and scales mostly occurring along the costules and veins. Venation anadromous, becoming catadromous towards the lamina and pinna apex, pinnately branched in the segments, the vein branches pinnately branched, forked or simple near the apex, evident, ending in the teeth near the margin, the endings slightly enlarged and often conspicuous adaxially. Stomata of the anomo-and polocytic types, guard cells (34-)53(-72) µm long. Sori circular, to 1.8 mm in diameter at maturity, medial on the predominantly anadromous vein branches, discrete, essentially uniseriate in the segments; sporangia stalk simple, or with one or more glandular cells, but mostly with a long multicellular, uniseriate hair, the capsule with (11-)13(-20) indurated annulus cells, epistomium (3-)6(-8)-celled, hypostomium (3-)6(-8)-celled. Indusia persistent, pale brown, firmly herbaceous, reniform, to 1.8 mm in diameter, the margins entire, repand, or erose, (rarely glandular along margin), often strongly revolute. Spores ellipsoidal, monolete, perispore folded into tubercules or reticulate ridges, finely rugose to ruminate, (38-)45(-60) x (27-)31(-40) µm.

Terrestrial margin of forest; 6, 000 to 10, 000 ft. alt.