Flora of North America species comparison

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.

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.

scattered, 7–30 cm;

vernation noncircinate.

clustered, 7–50 cm;

vernation circinate.

usually dark brown, rounded adaxially.

dark brown, rounded adaxially.

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.

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

rachis rounded adaxially, lacking scales, with monomorphic pubescence.

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.

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

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 slightly smaller than adjacent pair, ± equilateral, appearing sparsely hirsute adaxially.

marginal, weakly differentiated, 0.05–0.25 mm wide.

marginal, weakly differentiated, 0.05–0.25 mm wide.

± continuous around segment margins.

discontinuous, concentrated on small apical and lateral lobes.

containing 32 spores.

containing 64 spores.

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.

brown adaxially for most of length;

abaxial scales absent.

= 2n = 90, apogamous.

= 60.