Cheilanthes intertexta
Cheilanthes clevelandii
coastal lip fern
Cleveland's lip fern
short-creeping, usually 3–7 mm diam.;
scales usually bicolored, with broad, well-defined, dark, central stripe and narrow, light brown margins, linear-lanceolate, straight to slightly contorted, strongly appressed, persistent.
usually short-creeping, 1–3 mm diam.;
scales usually bicolored, with well-defined, dark, central stripe and broad, light brown margins, lanceolate, straight to slightly contorted, strongly appressed, persistent.
clustered, 4–25 cm;
vernation noncircinate.
clustered to somewhat scattered, 8–40 cm;
vernation noncircinate.
dark brown, rounded adaxially.
dark to light brown, rounded adaxially.
lanceolate to ovate-deltate, usually 3-pinnate at base, 1–4 cm wide;
rachis rounded adaxially, with scattered scales and sparse monomorphic pubescence.
oblong-lanceolate to ovate, usually 4-pinnate at base, 2–8 cm wide;
rachis rounded adaxially, with scattered scales and sparse monomorphic pubescence.
oblong to ovate, beadlike, the largest 1–3 mm, abaxially densely covered with branched hairs and small, ciliate scales, adaxially with scattered branched hairs or glabrescent.
round to subcordate, beadlike, the largest 1–2 mm, abaxially with branched hairs and small ciliate scales, adaxially glabrous.
not articulate, dark color of stalk continuing into pinna base, basal pair not conspicuously larger than adjacent pair, usually equilateral, appearing glabrous to sparsely pubescent adaxially.
not articulate, dark color of stalk continuing into pinna base, basal pair not conspicuously larger than adjacent pair, usually equilateral, appearing glabrous adaxially.
marginal, weakly differentiated, 0.05–0.25 mm wide.
marginal, weakly differentiated, 0.05–0.25 mm wide.
± continuous around segment margins.
± continuous around segment margins.
containing 64 spores.
containing 64 spores.
green adaxially for most of length;
abaxial scales multiseriate, ovate-lanceolate, deeply cordate at base, with overlapping basal lobes, conspicuous, the longest 0.4–1 mm wide, imbricate, often concealing ultimate segments, long-ciliate, cilia usually confined to proximal 1/2.
green adaxially for most of length;
abaxial scales multiseriate, ovate-lanceolate, deeply cordate at base, with overlapping basal lobes, conspicuous, 0.4–1 mm wide, imbricate, occasionally concealing ultimate segments, ciliate (usually only on proximal 1/2).
Cheilanthes intertexta
Cheilanthes clevelandii
Preliminary isozyme analyses support D. B. Lellinger's (1985) suggestion that Cheilanthes intertexta is a fertile allotetraploid hybrid between C. gracillima and C. covillei. It is morphologically most similar to the latter parent (see comments under C. covillei), but it is occasionally confused with C. gracillima, with which it apparently hybridizes to form sterile intermediates that have been called C. gracillima var. aberrans M. E. Jones. Cheilanthes intertexta may also be confused with C. clevelandii, with which it is partially sympatric. In addition to the characters given in the key, C. intertexta is distinguished from closely related sexual species by having larger spores averaging more than 55 µm in diameter.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Although some specimens of Cheilanthes clevelandii can be difficult to distinguish from C. covillei and C. intertexta (see comments under C. covillei), the species is restricted to the coastal mountains of California and Baja California, and it rarely overlaps the ranges of these closely related species. In the region where C. clevelandii is sympatric with C. intertexta, the smaller spores of the former species (averaging less that 55 µm in diameter) are helpful in identification. T. Reeves (1979) tentatively identified two varieties of C. clevelandii, but formal recognition of these taxa must await further study.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
CA
OR
Flora NW
PNW Herbaria
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
