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The Lesser creeping fern (Arthropteris palisotii) belongs to the family Tectariaceae. It is an evergreen fern that is distributed from Amami-Oshima in Japan's Amami Islands to Okinawa Island in the Okinawa Islands, Ishigaki Island in the Yaeyama Islands, as well as Taiwan, the Philippines, China, Vietnam, Indonesia, Polynesia, India, and Africa. It grows on rocks and tree trunks in mountainous areas and reaches a height of 20 to 30 cm. The rhizome is wire-like, creeping along the ground for long distances and climbing upward like a vine. The leaves are lanceolate and once-pinnately compound, reaching a length of 30-40 cm. There are 25-35 pairs of lateral pinnae, arranged alternately on either side of the midrib. The sori are arranged in a single vertical row between the midrib and the margin of the pinnae, and the indusia are reniform. The Ministry of the Environment's Red List classifies it as Critically Endangered (CR). In Taiwanese Chinese, it is called "藤蕨", and "爬樹蕨" (pa shu jue) in Chinese.
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