Flora of North America species comparison

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.

compact, usually 4–8 mm diam.;

scales mostly bicolored, with broad, well-defined, dark, central stripe and narrow, light brown margins, linear-lanceolate, straight to slightly contorted, loosely appressed, persistent.

clustered, 7–50 cm;

vernation circinate.

clustered, 8–45 cm;

vernation noncircinate.

dark brown, rounded adaxially.

usually dark brown, rounded adaxially.

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

rachis rounded adaxially, lacking scales, with monomorphic pubescence.

oblong-lanceolate, usually 4-pinnate at base, 1.5–8 cm wide;

rachis rounded abaxially, with scattered linear scales and monomorphic pubescence.

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

oval or rarely oblong, beadlike, the largest 1–2 mm, abaxially densely tomentose, adaxially pubescent with fine, unbranched hairs.

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 tomentose adaxially.

marginal, weakly differentiated, 0.05–0.25 mm wide.

marginal to obscurely inframarginal, somewhat differentiated, 0.05–0.25 mm wide.

discontinuous, concentrated on small apical and lateral lobes.

± continuous around segment margins.

containing 64 spores.

containing 32 spores.

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, usually entire, not ciliate.

= 2n = 90, apogamous.

= 60.