Flora of North America species comparison

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Cheilanthes lindheimeri

Cheilanthes kaulfussii

fairy swords

glandular lip fern
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.

short-creeping, usually 4–8 mm diam.;

scales uniformly black or with narrow brown margins, linear-subulate, straight to slightly contorted, strongly appressed, persistent.
Leaves

scattered, 7–30 cm;

vernation noncircinate.

clustered, 8–35 cm;

vernation circinate.
Petiole

usually dark brown, rounded adaxially.

dark brown, flattened or slightly grooved distally on adaxial surface.
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.

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

rachis grooved adaxially, lacking scales, with 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.

linear-oblong, not especially beadlike, largest 3–8 mm, abaxially and adaxially glandular pubescent with short, sticky, capitate glands.
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.

not articulate, dark color of stalk continuing into pinna base, basal pair larger than adjacent pair, strongly inequilateral, proximal basiscopic pinnules greatly enlarged, appearing glandular-pubescent 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 32 spores.

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.

green or straw-colored adaxially for most of length;

abaxial scales absent.
n

= 2n = 90, apogamous.

Cheilanthes lindheimeri

Cheilanthes kaulfussii
Phenology Sporulating summer–fall. Sporulating summer–fall.
Habitat Rocky slopes and ledges, on a variety of acidic to mildly basic substrates Rocky slopes and ledges, usually on igneous substrates
Elevation 200–2500 m (700–8200 ft) 300–2500 m (1000–8200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; NM; TX; Mexico
from FNA
TX; Mexico; Central America; South America
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.)

The few populations of Cheilanthes kaulfussii known in the flora produce 32 spores per sporangium and reproduce apogamously (D. M. Benham 1982). Although the chromosome number of North American specimens has not been established with certainty, the specimens appear to be polyploids that may have been derived from 64-spored Mexican populations through autopolyploidy. The species is quite distinctive and should not be confused with any other member of the flora.

(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. 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
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. 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 Myriopteris lindheimeri
Name authority Hooker: Sp. Fil. 2: 101, plate 107a. (1852) Kunze: Linnaea 13: 145. (1839)
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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