Burke: Asplenium trichomanes

	Asplenium trichomanes
	maidenhair spleenwort
Habit	Perennial from fibrous roots not proliferous; stems short-creeping, commonly branched; scales completely black or with brown edges, lanceolate, 2-5 mm long and 0.2-0.5 mm broad, margins entire or finely toothed.
Leaves	Leaves monomorphic; petiole reddish to blackish brown, somewhat shiny, 1-4 cm, 1/4 length of blade or less, with black scales linear-lanceolate or filiform at base, or none; blade linear, 1-pinnate, 3-22 cm long and 0.5-1.5 cm broad, thin, slightly pubescent or not, base tapering gradually, apex narrowly acute, not rooting; rachis reddish brown, shiny, glabrous or with sparse indument; pinnae in 15-35 pairs, oblong to oval, medial pinnae 2.5-8 mm long and 2.5-4 mm broad, base broadly wedge-shaped, sometimes with low rounded auricle facing apex, margins with shallow round teeth to serrate to entire, apex obtuse.
Spores	Sori in 2-4 pairs per pinna; spores 64 per sporangium.

	Asplenium trichomanes
Habitat	Cliff crevices, rocky outcroppings, and talus slopes, generally where moist.
Distribution	Occurring chiefly west of the Cascades crest in Washington; Alaska to California, also in southern Rocky Mountain states and in central U.S. and eastern North America. [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]
Origin	Native
Conservation status	Not of concern
Sibling taxa	A. viride
Subordinate taxa	A. trichomanes ssp. quadrivalens, A. trichomanes ssp. trichomanes
Web links	Local floras: BC, OR, WA Local Web sites: Flora NW, PNW Herbaria WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search

Asplenium trichomanes

maidenhair spleenwort

Habit

Perennial from fibrous roots not proliferous; stems short-creeping, commonly branched; scales completely black or with brown edges, lanceolate, 2-5 mm long and 0.2-0.5 mm broad, margins entire or finely toothed.

Leaves

Leaves monomorphic;

petiole reddish to blackish brown, somewhat shiny, 1-4 cm, 1/4 length of blade or less, with black scales linear-lanceolate or filiform at base, or none;

blade linear, 1-pinnate, 3-22 cm long and 0.5-1.5 cm broad, thin, slightly pubescent or not, base tapering gradually, apex narrowly acute, not rooting;

rachis reddish brown, shiny, glabrous or with sparse indument;

pinnae in 15-35 pairs, oblong to oval, medial pinnae 2.5-8 mm long and 2.5-4 mm broad, base broadly wedge-shaped, sometimes with low rounded auricle facing apex, margins with shallow round teeth to serrate to entire, apex obtuse.

Spores

Sori in 2-4 pairs per pinna; spores 64 per sporangium.

Asplenium trichomanes

Habitat

Cliff crevices, rocky outcroppings, and talus slopes, generally where moist.

Distribution

Occurring chiefly west of the Cascades crest in Washington; Alaska to California, also in southern Rocky Mountain states and in central U.S. and eastern North America.

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

Origin

Native

Conservation status

Not of concern

Sibling taxa

A. viride

Subordinate taxa

A. trichomanes ssp. quadrivalens, A. trichomanes ssp. trichomanes

Web links