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coast polypody, leather-leaved polypody

western polypody

Stems

stout, white-pruinose, densely clothed in scales;

scales brown, longtoothed;

margins often pale;

taste bland.

slender, white pruina often present;

scales dense, brown, lanceolate, toothed or entire;

taste acrid/bitter.

Leaves

to 60 cm;

petiole to 25 × 0.2 cm.

to 30 × 5 cm;

petiole slender; to 12 × 0.1 cm.

Blades

pinnatifid, narrowly ovate; stiff and leathery, dark green; to 35 × 8 cm, with relatively few pairs of robust pinnae;

adaxial surface glabrous;

scales on abaxial surface scattered; broad; convex, brown, with pale margins.

oblong to narrowly ovate; pinnatifid, slightly leathery; up to 18 × 5 cm, glabrous above;

scales on abaxial rachis sparse, brown; less than 6 cells wide.

Pinnae

oblong; up to 9 × 2 cm;

margin usually subentire;

apex rounded to acute; some veins anastomosing, forming indistinct areolae along the pinnae.

small, oblong; to 2.5 × 1 cm;

margin entire to serrulate;

apex rounded to acute;

veins free.

Sori

round; large; over 3 mm, often absent on proximal pinnae;

sporangiasters absent.

rounded; less than 3 mm, often oval when immature;

sporangiasters absent; but aborted purplish sporangia often present.

2n

=74.

=148.

Polypodium scouleri

Polypodium hesperium

Distribution
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Epiphytic and on rocks. 0–600 m. CR, Est. WA, CA; north to British Columbia, south to northern Mexico. Native.

Cliffs, crevices, and talus slopes. 50–1800 m. BW, Casc. CA, ID, WA; north to British Columbia, south to northwestern Mexico. Native.

This is the only Polypodium species in Oregon found east of the Cascade range. The lack of sporangiasters distinguishes it from P. amorphum, but the frequent sterile sporangia can cause confusion where the ranges of the two species overlap in northwestern Oregon.

Source Flora of Oregon, volume 1, page 96
Duncan Thomas
Flora of Oregon, volume 1, page 96
Duncan Thomas
Sibling taxa
P. amorphum, P. calirhiza, P. glycyrrhiza, P. hesperium
P. amorphum, P. calirhiza, P. glycyrrhiza, P. scouleri
Synonyms Polypodium vulgare, Polypodium vulgare var. columbianum
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