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hairy lip fern

lace fern, lace lipfern

Stems

compact to short-creeping, usually 4–8 mm diam.;

scales often uniformly brown but at least some on each plant with thin, poorly defined, dark, central stripe, linear-lanceolate, straight to slightly contorted, loosely appressed, persistent.

short-creeping, 4–8 mm diam.;

scales uniformly brown or with poorly defined, dark, central stripe, linear-lanceolate, straight to slightly contorted, loosely appressed, persistent.

Leaves

clustered, 7–50 cm;

vernation circinate.

clustered, 5–25 cm;

vernation noncircinate.

Petiole

dark brown, rounded adaxially.

dark brown, rounded adaxially.

Blade

linear-oblong to lanceolate, usually 2-pinnate-pinnatifid at base, 1.5–5 cm wide;

rachis rounded adaxially, lacking scales, with monomorphic pubescence.

linear-oblong, 2–3-pinnate at base, 1–2.5 cm wide;

rachis rounded adaxially, with scattered linear scales, not pubescent.

Ultimate segments

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

oblong or rarely oval, beadlike, the largest 1.5–3 mm, abaxially densely covered with branched hairs and small, ciliate scales, adaxially with scattered, branched hairs or glabrescent.

Pinnae

not articulate, dark color of stalk continuing into pinna base, basal pair slightly smaller than adjacent pair, ± equilateral, appearing sparsely hirsute adaxially.

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

False indusia

marginal, weakly differentiated, 0.05–0.25 mm wide.

marginal, slightly differentiated, 0.05–0.25 mm wide.

Sori

discontinuous, concentrated on small apical and lateral lobes.

± continuous around segment margins.

Sporangia

containing 64 spores.

containing 64 spores.

Costae

brown adaxially for most of length;

abaxial scales absent.

green adaxially for most of length;

abaxial scales multiseriate, linear, truncate at base, inconspicuous, the largest 0.1–0.4 mm wide, loosely imbricate, not concealing ultimate segments, long-ciliate, cilia usually confined to base.

2n

= 60.

Cheilanthes lanosa

Cheilanthes gracillima

Phenology Sporulating summer–fall. Sporulating summer–fall.
Habitat Rocky slopes and ledges, on a variety of substrates including limestone and granite Cliffs and rocky slopes, usually on igneous substrates
Elevation 100–800 m (300–2600 ft) 800–3000 m (2600–9800 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; CT; FL; GA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MD; MN; MO; MS; NC; NJ; NY; OH; OK; PA; SC; TN; TX; VA; WI; WV
from FNA
CA; ID; MT; NV; OR; UT; WA; AB; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
Discussion

Cheilanthes lanosa is apparently confined to the forests and prairies of eastern North America, and reports of this distinctive species from Arizona and New Mexico (A. J. Petrik-Ott 1979) have not been substantiated by herbarium specimens.

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

Cheilanthes gracillima is a well-marked species, but it apparently hybridizes with C. intertexta (see reticulogram) to produce plants of intermediate morphology with malformed spores that have been called C. gracillima var. aberrans M. E. Jones (A. R. Smith 1974).

(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. covillei, C. eatonii, C. feei, C. fendleri, C. gracillima, C. horridula, C. intertexta, C. kaulfussii, 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. 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
Synonyms Nephrodium lanosum, C. vestita Myriopteris gracillima
Name authority (Michaux) D. C. Eaton: in Emory, Rep. U.S. Mex. Bound. 2(1): 234. (1859) D. C. Eaton: in Emory, Rep. U.S. Mex. Bound. 2: 234. (1859)
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