| English Name | Lamb of Tartary |
|---|---|
| Status in China | Vulnerable(VU). Wild plant under State protection (category II). |
Description:
Large herbs, to 2-3 m tall. Rhizome short and stout, densely covered with golden brown long hairs. Leaves tufted; stipes stout, up to 1.2 m long, densely covered with golden brown hairs at base; lamina up to 2 m long and 1 m wide, tripinnatifid; pinnae alternate, sparsely spaced; pinnules linear-lanceolate, to 15 cm long and 1-2.5 cm wide, short-stipitate; ultimate lobes linear, more or less falcate, shallowly serrate, dark green and shining above, light green to glaucous below. Sori 1-5 pairs borne on the lower surface of ultimate lobes at the end of basal veins; indusium dehiscent in two equal halves when mature.
Distribution:
Common in Hong Kong. S China; Japan, Vietnam, Myanmar, India and Indonesia.
Habitat and Ecology:
On shade and moist places in ravines and under forests.
The species is a folk medicinal herb in common use. Although it is widely distributed, the plant has been extensively collected outside Hong Kong for medicinal uses, causing the decline in the population size and number of individuals. In Hong Kong, the species is widely distributed and is not under any particular threat. This species is also protected by the Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance (Cap.586).
References:
Edie, H. H., 1977: Ferns of Hong Kong, 172. Hong Kong Univ. Press, Hong Kong.
So, M.L., 1994: Hong Kong Ferns, 29. The Urban Council, Hong Kong.
