Cheilanthes wootonii
Cheilanthes pringlei
beaded lipfern, Wooton's lip fern
Pringle's lip fern
long-creeping, 1–3 mm diam.;
scales uniformly brown or weakly bicolored with poorly defined, dark, central stripe, lanceolate-ovate, straight to slightly contorted, loosely appressed, often deciduous on older portions of stem.
long-creeping, 1–3 mm diam.;
scales uniformly brown or with poorly defined, dark, central stripe, linear-lanceolate, straight to slightly contorted, loosely appressed, usually persistent.
scattered, 7–35 cm;
vernation noncircinate.
clustered to somewhat scattered, 4–15 cm;
vernation noncircinate.
usually dark brown, rounded adaxially.
dark brown, grooved distally on adaxial surface.
oblong-lanceolate, 3–4-pinnate at base, 2–5 cm wide;
rachis rounded adaxially, with scattered linear-lanceolate scales and sparse monomorphic pubescence.
ovate-deltate, 3-pinnate-pinnatifid at base, 1.5–5 cm wide;
rachis grooved adaxially, with scattered, lanceolate scales, not pubescent.
round to oblong, beadlike, the largest 1–3 mm, abaxially glabrous or with a few small scales near base, adaxially glabrous.
spatulate, not especially beadlike, the largest usually 2–3 mm, abaxially glabrous or with a few small scales near base, adaxially glabrous.
not articulate, dark color of stalk continuing into pinna base, basal pair not conspicuously larger than adjacent pair, usually equilateral, appearing glabrous adaxially.
not articulate, dark color of stalk continuing into pinna base, basal pair conspicuously larger than adjacent pair, inequilateral, basiscopic pinnules enlarged, appearing glabrous adaxially.
marginal, weakly differentiated, 0.05–0.25 mm wide.
marginal, weakly differentiated, 0.05–0.25 mm wide.
± continuous around segment margins.
discontinuous, confined to apical or lateral lobes.
containing 32 spores.
containing 64 spores.
green adaxially for most of length;
abaxial scales multiseriate, lanceolate-ovate, truncate or subcordate at base, without overlapping basal lobes, conspicuous, the largest 0.4–0.8 mm wide, strongly imbricate, often concealing ultimate segments, ciliate, with coarse cilia often confined to proximal 1/2.
green adaxially for most of length;
abaxial scales multiseriate, lanceolate, truncate or subcordate at base, without overlapping basal lobes, conspicuous, the largest 0.4–0.8 mm wide, loosely imbricate, not concealing ultimate segments, erose, not ciliate.
= 2n = 90, apogamous.
= 60.
Cheilanthes wootonii
Cheilanthes pringlei
Like its close relative Cheilanthes lindheimeri, C. wootonii is an apogamous triploid of unknown parentage. With the recognition of C. yavapensis as a distinct species, the name C. wootonii is restricted to populations with leaf blades that appear glabrous adaxially, costal scales that are often ciliate only in the proximal half, and stem scales that are usually brown and loosely appressed. In addition, C. wootonii is distinguished from C. yavapensis by having smaller spores, averaging less than 62 µm in diameter. These characteristics can be subtle, and some specimens will be difficult to place in either C. wootonii or C. yavapensis. T. Reeves (1979) identified several specimens from Arizona that he hypothesized were hybrids between C. wootonii and C. fendleri.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Cheilanthes pringlei is often confused with young, sterile plants of C. fendleri, but it is easily distinguished from the latter by having rachises that are grooved adaxially. This species appears to be restricted to the Sonoran Desert; records from Gila and Cochise counties, Arizona, and southern New Mexico are based on misidentifications.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
CA
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
