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The Asian sword fern (Nephrolepis brownii) belongs to the family Nephrolepidaceae. It is an evergreen fern that is distributed in Japan's Nansei Islands and Ogasawara Islands, as well as in Taiwan, southern China, and the tropical regions from Asia to Oceania. It grows in sunny locations such as roadsides in lowlands to mountainous areas, reaching a height of 50 to 100 cm. The leaves are pinnately compound, with linear-lanceolate leaf blades bearing numerous lateral pinna densely arranged. The base of the pinna is asymmetrical, bearing an auriculate appendage. The sorus are reniform and arranged in a single row along the margin of the pinna. It differs from the closely related species, "Narrow swordfern" (Nephrolepis cordifolia), in that it lacks a tuberous root.
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