50. Dryopteris varia (L.) Kuntze (Rev. Gen. Pl. 2: 814. 1891).—Fig. 52.

Rhizome ascending to very short creeping. Stipe to ca. 45 cm long, the larger stipe scales dark brown-black, often paler toward the base, cordate, blade more or less erect, stiffish, mostly oblong triangular, to ca. 45 cm, 43 cm wide, 2-pinnate-pinnatifid to 3-pinnate at the base, proximal pinnae more developed on the basiscopic side (on older plants the blades texture thick and hard, somewhat abruptly narrowed and then tapering to the apex and dull gray-green in summer), the segment margins slightly turned under, weakly serrate, teeth mostly acute, rarely aristate, the rachis scales linear-triangular, the costa scales linear lanceolate, many dilated at the base, their base flat to very slightly convex. Sori medial to mostly submarginal; indusia round reniform, large, ca. 1.5 mm in diameter, margins with sparsely distributed minute hairs.

Dryopteris varia has been reported to consist of both diploid and triploid, apogamous races (Hirabayashi, 1974; Fraser-Jenkins, 1989). It is native to northeastern India (rare) and eastern Asia. In southern California the foliage is bronzish when emerging and somewhat gray-green when old and stiff. The overall thicker stiff texture and triangular to oblong pentagonal frond are useful for overall identification. The abrupt narrowing of the apex before tapering to the blade tip is not always strikingly apparent on all fronds. Of more definitive help are the flatter bullate scales which may have a noticeable long apex, and the thick, rougher texture of the frond. The species was known in cultivation in southern California in 1970s. It was grown from spores collected in Japan.

This species is hardy to a January average of ca. 35°F. It is more or less evergreen, has sparse fronds, the emerging ones yellow to rusty bronze. It is of slow growth but not difficult to cultivate.