Pteridophytes of Bhutan

Abstract

Bhutanese pteridophytes have been compiled into a check-list of 568 taxa (543 species and 25 additional subspecies), based on reidentification of nearly all the world’s herbarium holdings from the Country, studied by the first author. We have also carried out many field-excursions, particularly in west and east Bhutan, collecting and identifying specimens. As a result we have produced a detailed specimen check-list giving full details (Fraser-Jenkins et al., in press 2022). The present list of confirmed taxa makes various additions and corrections to the Bhutan listings in the Annotated Checklist of Indian Pteridophytes (Fraser-Jenkins et al. 2016-2020), detailed in the full checklist. Two new species Diplazium phuntshoi Fraser-Jenk., and Pichisermollodes major Fraser-Jenk. and one new subspecies Dryopteris sparsa subsp. obtusipinnula Fraser-Jenk., are described. Only 4 species are endemic to Bhutan, but are all presumed to be only temporarily so and are expected to be present also in N.E. India, S.E. Tibet, S.W. China or N. Myanmar, though not yet detected there.