Flora of North America species comparison

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Adiantum jordanii

adiantum, California maidenhair, California maidenhair fern
Stems

short-creeping;

scales reddish brown, concolored, margins entire.
Leaves

arching or pendent, clustered, 30–45 cm.
Petiole

1–1.5 mm diam., glabrous, not glaucous.
Blade

lanceolate, pinnate, 20–24 × 8–10 cm, gradually reduced distally, glabrous;

proximal pinnae 3(–4)-pinnate;

rachis straight, glabrous, not glaucous.
Ultimate segments

fan-shaped, not quite as long as broad;

base truncate or broadly cuneate;

margins of fertile segments unlobed but very narrowly incised, sterile segments with margins lobed, denticulate;

apex rounded.
Indusia

transversely oblong, 3–10 mm, glabrous.
Spores

mostly 40–50 µm diam. 2n = 60.
Segment

stalks 1–4 mm, with dark color ending abruptly at segment base.

Adiantum jordanii
Phenology Sporulating early spring–midsummer.
Habitat Seasonally moist, shaded, rocky banks, canyons, and ravines
Elevation 0–1000 m (0–3300 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; OR; Mexico in Baja California
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Adiantum jordanii occasionally hybridizes with A. aleuticum where their ranges overlap in northern California, yielding the sterile hybrid Adiantum × tracyi C. C. Hall ex W. H. Wagner. Adiantum × tracyi, morphologically intermediate between its parental species, can be distinguished from A. jordanii by its broadly deltate leaf blade that tapers abruptly from the 4(–5)-pinnate base to a 1-pinnate apex. It is best separated from A. aleuticum by leaf blades with a strong rachis, and by ultimate blade segments that are less than twice as long as broad. Adiantum × tracyi shows 59 univalents at metaphase; its spores are irregular and misshapen (W. H. Wagner Jr. 1962).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 2.
Parent taxa Pteridaceae > Adiantum
Sibling taxa
A. aleuticum, A. capillus-veneris, A. hispidulum, A. melanoleucum, A. pedatum, A. tenerum, A. tricholepis, A. viridimontanum
Name authority Müller Halle: Bot. Zeitung 1864: 26. (1864)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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