Flora of North America species comparison

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Cheilanthes lindheimeri

fairy swords
Stems

long-creeping, 0.7–3 mm diam.;

scales uniformly brown, ovate-lanceolate, straight to slightly contorted, loosely appressed, often deciduous on older portions of stem.
Leaves

scattered, 7–30 cm;

vernation noncircinate.
Petiole

usually dark brown, rounded adaxially.
Blade

oblong-lanceolate to ovate-deltate, 4-pinnate at base, 2–5 cm wide;

rachis rounded adaxially, with scattered linear-lanceolate scales and sparse monomorphic pubescence.
Ultimate segments

round to slightly oblong, beadlike, the largest 0.7–1 mm, abaxially nearly glabrous, often with a few small scales or branched hairs, adaxially appearing tomentose but actually nearly glabrous.
Pinnae

not articulate, dark color of stalk continuing into pinna base, basal pair not conspicuously larger than adjacent pair, usually equilateral, appearing densely tomentose adaxially.
False indusia

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

± continuous around segment margins.
Sporangia

containing 32 spores.
Costae

green adaxially for most of length;

abaxial scales multiseriate, lanceolate-ovate, truncate to cordate at base, usually without overlapping basal lobes, conspicuous, the largest 0.4–1 mm wide, strongly imbricate, often concealing ultimate segments, long-ciliate throughout, cilia fine, curly, forming entangled mass.
n

= 2n = 90, apogamous.

Cheilanthes lindheimeri
Phenology Sporulating summer–fall.
Habitat Rocky slopes and ledges, on a variety of acidic to mildly basic substrates
Elevation 200–2500 m (700–8200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; NM; TX; Mexico
Discussion

Cheilanthes lindheimeri is an apogamous triploid of unknown parentage. It is occasionally misidentified as C. wootonii (actually the element here recognized as C. yavapensis); most specimens can be placed using the characteristics given in the key. The adaxial blade surface appears to be densely gray tomentose, but this is an illusion created by the fine, curly cilia of the abaxial costal scales that overtop the minute ultimate segments and form an entangled mass that prevents the easy removal of individual costal scales.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 2.
Parent taxa 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. lanosa, C. lendigera, C. leucopoda, C. microphylla, C. newberryi, C. parryi, C. pringlei, C. tomentosa, C. villosa, C. viscida, C. wootonii, C. wrightii, C. yavapensis
Synonyms Myriopteris lindheimeri
Name authority Hooker: Sp. Fil. 2: 101, plate 107a. (1852)
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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