Leucostegia amplissima, the Third Species of the Genus (Hypodematiaceae)

Leucostegia has been long recognized as a small fern genus with only two species, L. immersa and L. pallida. Here we elevate a variety of L. immersa to species level and make the new combination Leucostegia amplissima based on morphological and molecular phylogenetic evidence. Morphologically, Leucostegia amplissima differs from L. immersa by having larger evergreen fronds, smaller indusia, and glandular hairs on the basal stipes. The study of Taiwanese populations further suggested an ecological divergence between L. immersa and L. amplissima.