March 3, 2026PhytoKeys0 citationsOpen Access

Angiopteris weimingii (Marattiaceae): a new endangered fern species from southern Yunnan, China, revealed by morphology and phylogeny

LJLi-Jü JiangXishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden JZJing ZhaoYunnan University DMDanni MaYunnan University

Key Points

The new species Angiopteris weimingii shows a taller habit of 1.2 to 2.5 meters, distinguishing it from A. itoi.
Key differences include more pinnae pairs (8-13 pairs vs. 4-9 pairs), different spore color, and distinct spore ornamentation.
Molecular phylogenetic analyses affirm its close relation to the Archangiopteris clade, adding to its unique profile.
Only about 30 adults exist due to severe habitat destruction, indicating a Critical Endangered status under IUCN criteria.

Abstract

Angiopteris weimingii, a morphologically distinct new species of Angiopteris (Marattiaceae) from southern Yunnan, China, is described. Compared with A. itoi, the new species can be distinguished by a taller habit (1.2-2.5 m vs. 0.5-1.5 m), a greater number of pinnae pairs (8-13 pairs vs. 4-9 pairs), a caudate tip (1 cm vs. 2-4 cm), the position of sori from the leaf margin (2 mm vs. 3-5 mm), spore color (yellow vs. white), and spore ornamentation (densely verrucate vs. clavate-echinate). Molecular phylogenetic analyses confirm its affinity with the Archangiopteris clade. With a single known population of approximately 30 adults and severe habitat destruction, the species is assessed as Critically Endangered (CR) under IUCN criteria.

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