Flora of North America species comparison

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Asplenium montanum

mountain spleenwort
Roots

proliferous.
Stems

horizontal, often arching upward, unbranched (although clusters of stems often form from root proliferations, giving false appearance of single much-branched stem);

scales dark brown throughout, narrowly deltate, 2–4 × 0.2–0.4 mm, margins entire.
Leaves

monomorphic.
Petiole

dark brown to purplish black, lustrous proximally, fading to green distally, 2–11 cm, 1/2–1 1/2 length of blade;

indument of blackish, narrowly lanceolate scales only at very base and of minute hairs.
Blade

deltate to lanceolate, 1–2-pinnate-pinnatifid, 2–11 × 1–7(–10) cm, thick, essentially glabrous;

base truncate or obtuse;

apex acuminate to acute, not rooting.
Pinnae

in 4–10 pairs, deltate to lanceolate;

proximal (longest) pinnae 6–35 × 4–20 mm;

base obtuse to acute;

margins coarsely incised;

apex acute to rounded.
Veins

free, obscure.
Sori

1–15 per pinna, on both basiscopic and acroscopic sides.
Spores

64 per sporangium.
Rachis

green throughout, dull, sparsely pubescent.
2n

= 72.

Asplenium montanum
Habitat Crevices in sandstone or other acidic rocks
Elevation 0–2000 m (0–6600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; CT; GA; IN; KY; MA; MD; MO; NC; NJ; NY; OH; PA; RI; SC; TN; VA; WV
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Asplenium montanum occurs principally in the Appalachian region, with outlying localities in the Shawnee Hills of western Kentucky (R. Cranfill 1980) and adjacent Indiana (D. M. Smith 1956). A report of its disjunct occurrence on the northern edge of the Ozarks is based on a single specimen whose label indicates the collection locality near Graham Cave, Montgomery County, Missouri. Efforts by several botanists to relocate the population have failed. Reports of a disjunct station in the upper peninsula of Michigan are doubtful.

Asplenium montanum is an ecological specialist. It is typically the sole vascular plant species in the siliceous rock crevices in which it is found. It may occur, however, with two allotetraploid species, A. bradleyi and A. pinnatifidum, which were derived from hybrids of A. montanum with A. platyneuron and A. rhizophyllum, respectively. In addition, A. montanum crosses frequently with A. pinnatifidum producing A. × trudellii and rarely with allotetraploid individuals of A. bradleyi producing A. × wherryi.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 2.
Parent taxa Aspleniaceae > Asplenium
Sibling taxa
A. abscissum, A. adiantum-nigrum, A. adulterinum, A. auritum, A. bradleyi, A. cristatum, A. dalhousiae, A. ebenoides, A. exiguum, A. heterochroum, A. monanthes, A. palmeri, A. pinnatifidum, A. platyneuron, A. plenum, A. pumilum, A. resiliens, A. rhizophyllum, A. ruta-muraria, A. scolopendrium, A. septentrionale, A. serratum, A. trichomanes, A. trichomanes-dentatum, A. trichomanes-ramosum, A. verecundum, A. vespertinum, A. ×biscayneanum, A. ×curtissii, A. ×heteroresiliens
Name authority Willdenow: Sp. Pl. 5(1): 342. (1810)
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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