Astrolepis cochisensis |
Astrolepis windhamii |
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Cochise scaly cloakfern, scaly cloak-fern |
Windham's scaly cloakfern |
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Stems | compact; stem scales uniformly tan or somewhat darker near base, to 10 mm, margins ciliate-dentate to entire. |
compact to short-creeping; stem scales uniformly tan or somewhat darker near base, to 15 mm, margins ciliate-dentate to entire. |
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Leaves | 7–40 cm. |
10–50 cm. |
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Blade | 1-pinnate to pinnate-pinnatifid, pinna pairs 20–50. |
pinnate-pinnatifid, pinna pairs 20–45. |
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Pinnae | oblong, largest usually 4–7 mm, entire or asymmetrically lobed, lobes 1–4, broadly rounded, separated by shallow sinuses; abaxial scales completely concealing surface, ovate, usually 0.5–1 mm, ciliate with coarse marginal projections; adaxial scales sparse, deciduous, stellate to coarsely ciliate, mostly circular to elliptic, peltate, body more than 5 cells wide. |
ovate to deltate, largest 7–15 mm, usually symmetrically lobed, lobes 6–11, broadly rounded, separated by shallow sinuses; abaxial scales concealing surface, lanceolate, usually 1–1.5 mm, ciliate with coarse marginal projections; adaxial scales sparse, mostly persistent, elongate, usually stellate, attached at base, body 2–4 cells wide. |
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Sporangia | containing 32 or 64 spores. |
containing 32 spores. |
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n | = 2n = 87, apogamous. |
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Astrolepis cochisensis |
Astrolepis windhamii |
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Phenology | Sporulating summer–fall. | |||||||||
Habitat | Rocky hillsides and cliffs, occurring on calcareous and noncalcareous substrates | |||||||||
Elevation | 1200–2100 m (3900–6900 ft) | |||||||||
Distribution |
AZ; CA; NM; OK; TX; Mexico
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AZ; NM; TX; n Mexico
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Discussion | Subspecies 3 (3 in the flora). Astrolepis cochisensis is reported to be toxic to sheep (F. P. Mathews 1945). Three cytotypes that occupy different ranges and/or habitats have been identified and are treated here as subspecies. These include a sexual diploid (subsp. chihuahuensis) found on calcareous substrates in the Chihuahuan Desert; an apogamous triploid (subsp. cochisensis), which inhabits primarily calcareous substrates in the Sonoran, Mojavean, and western Chihuahuan deserts; and an apogamous tetraploid (subsp. arizonica), which occupies primarily noncalcareous substrates in southern Arizona. Isozyme analyses suggest that subsp. cochisensis is an autotriploid derivative of the diploid subsp. chihuahuensis (D. M. Benham 1989). Both the isozymes and substrate preferences of subsp. arizonica indicate, however, that it is not a simple autotetraploid and that other taxa remain to be discovered within the Astrolepis cochisensis complex. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Recent isozyme analyses (D. M. Benham 1989) indicate that Astrolepis windhamii is an apogamous allotriploid that contains three different genomes, one each from A. sinuata, A. cochisensis, and an unnamed Mexican taxon related to A. crassifolia. Because of this genomic constitution, Astrolepis windhamii tends to bridge the morphologic gap between A. sinuata and A. integerrima, which is itself a hybrid between A. cochisensis and the unnamed Mexican species. Although the features that separate these taxa are subtle, the pinna lobing and scale characteristics of A. windhamii mentioned in the key adequately distinguish them in most cases. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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Key |
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Source | FNA vol. 2, p. 141. | FNA vol. 2. | ||||||||
Parent taxa | Pteridaceae > Astrolepis | Pteridaceae > Astrolepis | ||||||||
Sibling taxa | ||||||||||
Subordinate taxa | ||||||||||
Synonyms | Notholaena cochisensis, Cheilanthes cochisensis, Cheilanthes sinuata var. cochisensis, Notholaena sinuata var. cochisensis | |||||||||
Name authority | (Goodding) D. M. Benham & Windham: Amer. Fern J. 82: 57. (1992) | D. M. Benham: Amer. Fern J. 82: 60. (1992) | ||||||||
Web links |