Flora of North America species comparison

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Cheilanthes covillei

Cheilanthes leucopoda

Coville's lip fern

white-footed lip fern, whitefoot lipfern
Stems

short-creeping, usually 2–4 mm diam.;

scales usually uniformly dark brown to black or rarely with narrow, light brown margins, linear-lanceolate, straight to slightly contorted, strongly appressed, persistent.

compact, usually 4–10 mm diam.;

scales uniformly brown, linear-subulate, straight to slightly contorted, loosely appressed, persistent.
Leaves

clustered, 5–30 cm;

vernation noncircinate.

clustered, 7–30 cm;

vernation circinate.
Petiole

dark brown, rounded adaxially.

straw-colored, shallowly grooved distally on adaxial surface.
Blade

lanceolate to ovate-deltate, 3–4-pinnate at base, 1.5–5 cm wide;

rachis rounded adaxially, somewhat scaly, not pubescent.

elongate-pentagonal, 4-pinnate at base, 3–10 cm wide;

rachis grooved adaxially, lacking scales, with monomorphic pubescence.
Ultimate segments

round to oblong, beadlike, the largest 1–3 mm, abaxially glabrous or with a few small scales near base, adaxially glabrous.

oblong to lanceolate, not especially beadlike, the largest 3–5 mm, abaxially and adaxially hirsute with long, noncapitate hairs.
Pinnae

not articulate, dark color of stalk continuing into pinna base, basal pair not conspicuously larger than adjacent pair, usually equilateral, appearing glabrous (or somewhat scaly) adaxially.

not articulate, color of stalk continuing into pinna base, basal pair larger than adjacent pair, strongly inequilateral, proximal basiscopic pinnules greatly enlarged, appearing hirsute adaxially.
False indusia

marginal, weakly differentiated, 0.05–0.25 mm wide.

marginal, weakly differentiated, 0.05–0.25 mm wide.
Sori

± continuous around segment margins.

usually discontinuous, concentrated on apical and lateral lobes.
Sporangia

containing 64 spores.

containing 32 spores.
Costae

green adaxially for most of length;

abaxial scales multiseriate, ovate-lanceolate, deeply cordate at base, with overlapping basal lobes, conspicuous, the largest 0.4–1.5 mm wide, strongly imbricate, usually concealing ultimate segments, ciliate only on basal lobes.

green or straw-colored adaxially for entire length;

abaxial scales absent.
2n

= 60.

= 60.

Cheilanthes covillei

Cheilanthes leucopoda
Phenology Sporulating late spring–fall. Sporulating summer–fall.
Habitat Rocky slopes, cliffs, and ledges, usually on igneous substrates Rocky slopes and ledges, apparently confined to limestone
Elevation 100–2500 m (300–8200 ft) 300–500 m (1000–1600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; NV; UT; Mexico in Baja California
[WildflowerSearch map]
from FNA
TX; n Mexico
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Cheilanthes covillei can be difficult to distinguish from the closely related C. intertexta and C. clevelandii; it differs from these two species in having glabrous blades and costal scales ciliate only on the basal lobes. Cheilanthes covillei is occasionally misidentified as C. fendleri because the cilia of the scales are often obscure; it is distinguished from the latter species by having rigid, dark brown stem scales that are strongly appressed. Cheilanthes covillei hybridizes with C. parryi and C. newberryi to form rare, sterile diploids known as C. × parishii Davenport and C. × fibrillosa (Davenport) Davenport ex Underwood, respectively. A third sterile diploid hybrid with C. fendleri has recently been discovered in central Arizona (M. D. Windham, unpublished).

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

In North America, Cheilanthes leucopoda is known only from the Edwards Plateau in west central Texas. It is unique among local Cheilanthes species in being a sexual diploid that consistently produces 32 spores per sporangium.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 2. FNA vol. 2.
Parent taxa Pteridaceae > Cheilanthes Pteridaceae > Cheilanthes
Sibling taxa
C. aemula, C. alabamensis, C. arizonica, C. bonariensis, C. clevelandii, C. cooperae, C. eatonii, C. feei, C. fendleri, C. gracillima, C. horridula, C. intertexta, C. kaulfussii, C. lanosa, C. lendigera, C. leucopoda, C. lindheimeri, C. microphylla, C. newberryi, C. parryi, C. pringlei, C. tomentosa, C. villosa, C. viscida, C. wootonii, C. wrightii, C. yavapensis
C. aemula, C. alabamensis, C. arizonica, C. bonariensis, C. clevelandii, C. cooperae, C. covillei, C. eatonii, C. feei, C. fendleri, C. gracillima, C. horridula, C. intertexta, C. kaulfussii, C. lanosa, C. lendigera, C. lindheimeri, C. microphylla, C. newberryi, C. parryi, C. pringlei, C. tomentosa, C. villosa, C. viscida, C. wootonii, C. wrightii, C. yavapensis
Synonyms Myriopteris covillei
Name authority Maxon: Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. 31: 147. (1918) Link: Fil. Spec. 66. (1841)
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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