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powdery false cloak fern

Stem

scales brown.

Leaves

3–15 cm.

Petiole

chestnut brown, 0.50–0.75 mm diam.

Blade

deltate, 3–5-pinnate proximally, somewhat herbaceous, abaxially covered by whitish farina, adaxially glabrous or sparsely glandular;

rachis rounded to slightly flattened adaxially.

Ultimate segments

not articulate, dark color of stalks continuing into segment bases abaxially;

segment margins recurved, often partially concealing sporangia;

veins often visible adaxially.

Sporangia

submarginal, borne on distal 1/3 of secondary veins, containing 64 spores.

Pinna

costae straight or nearly so, branches not arising from prominent angles.

2n

= 54.

Argyrochosma dealbata

Phenology Sporulating summer–fall.
Habitat Calcareous cliffs and ledges
Elevation 100–600 m (300–2000 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AR; IL; KS; KY; MO; NE; OK; TX
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

The distinctions between Argyrochosma dealbata and A. limitanea are subtle but apparently absolute. Although both occur in Texas, their ranges do not overlap. Despite the morphologic similarities, isozyme analyses indicate that A. dealbata, a diploid species, was not involved in the origin of polyploid A. limitanea.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 2.
Parent taxa Pteridaceae > Argyrochosma
Sibling taxa
A. fendleri, A. incana, A. jonesii, A. limitanea, A. microphylla
Synonyms Cheilanthes dealbata, Notholaena dealbata, Pellaea dealbata
Name authority (Pursh) Windham: Amer. Fern J. 77: 40. (1987)
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