Asplenium palmeri |
Asplenium dalhousiae |
|
---|---|---|
Palmer's spleenwort |
Countess dalhousie's spleenwort |
|
Roots | not proliferous. |
not proliferous. |
Stems | short-creeping, unbranched; scales black with lighter margins, linear-lanceolate, 1.5–3 × 0.1–0.4 mm, margins entire. |
erect, unbranched; scales black with brown margins, lanceolate, 2–5 × 0.6–1 mm, sparsely denticulate. |
Leaves | monomorphic. |
monomorphic. |
Petiole | purplish black, lustrous, 0.5–3 cm, 1/3–1/20 length of blade; indument of black filiform scales at base. |
dark to light brown throughout, dull, to 1 cm, 1/10–1/15 length of blade, indument of scales throughout. |
Blade | linear, 1-pinnate throughout, 7–17.5 × 0.9–1.8 cm, thick, glabrous; base gradually reduced; apex gradually reduced to whiplike rooting tip. |
narrowly elliptic to narrowly lanceolate, pinnatifid, 4–15 × 1.5–6 cm, thick, sparsely puberulent to glabrescent; base gradually tapered; apex obtuse, not rooting. |
Pinnae | in (12–)20–40 pairs, oblong; medial pinnae 6–9 × 3–4 mm; base broadly cuneate or auriculate; margins crenate-serrate; apex obtuse. |
|
Veins | free, obscure. |
free, obscure. |
Sori | 3–7 pairs per pinna, on both basiscopic and acroscopic sides. |
3–7 pairs per pinna, on both basiscopic and acroscopic sides of lobes. |
Spores | 64 per sporangium. |
64 per sporangium. |
Rachis | purplish black throughout, lustrous, glabrous or nearly so. |
light brown to tan, dull-scaly; scales brown, lanceolate. |
2n | = 72. |
|
Asplenium palmeri |
Asplenium dalhousiae |
|
Habitat | Shaded rocky slopes, wet ledges, often in protected places | Moist, rocky ravines, terrestrial among and at bases of rocks |
Elevation | 900–2000(–2750) m (3000–6600(–9000) ft) | 1300–2000 m (4300–6600 ft) |
Distribution |
AZ; NM; TX; Mexico; Central America in Guatemala; Belize
|
AZ; n Mexico; Asia in the Himalayas |
Discussion | In the flora, Asplenium dalhousiae is found only in the Mule, Huachuca, and Baboquivari mountains of southern Arizona. The pattern of disjunction in the worldwide range of this species is highly unusual. Asplenium dalhousiae is sometimes placed in the genus Ceterach on the basis of its thick, pinnatifid leaves. Most pteridologists, however, restrict Ceterach to species with densely scaly, pinnatifid leaves. Asplenium dalhousiae is placed in Ceterachopsis by pteridologists who believe it merits its own genus. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
|
Source | FNA vol. 2. | FNA vol. 2. |
Parent taxa | Aspleniaceae > Asplenium | Aspleniaceae > Asplenium |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Ceterach dalhousiae, Ceterachopsis dalhousiae | |
Name authority | Maxon: Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 13: 39. (1909) | Hooker: Icon. Pl. plate 105. (1837) |
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