Notholaena grayi
Notholaena lemmonii
Gray's cloak fern
Lemmon's cloak fern
scales concolored to weakly bicolored, margins usually brown, very narrow and poorly defined, thin, ciliate-denticulate.
scales weakly bicolored, margins brown, narrow, poorly defined, thin, sparsely ciliate-denticulate.
5–20 cm.
7–30 cm.
brown, equal to or somewhat shorter than blade, rounded adaxially, glandular-farinose, bearing scattered hairs and scales.
black to dark brown, much shorter than blade, grooved or flattened adaxially, bearing scattered glands and a few scales near base.
linear-lanceolate, 2-pinnate-pinnatifid, 3–6 times longer than wide, abaxially with conspicuous whitish farina and dull, light brown, lanceolate, entire scales scattered along rachises and costae, adaxially distinctly glandular;
basal pinnae equal to or slightly larger than adjacent pair, ± equilateral, proximal basiscopic pinnules not greatly enlarged.
linear-lanceolate, 2-pinnate-pinnatifid, 3–6 times longer than wide, abaxially with conspicuous white or pale yellow farina, scales absent, adaxially glabrous at maturity;
basal pinnae usually slightly smaller than adjacent pair, ± equilateral, proximal basiscopic pinnules not greatly enlarged.
sessile, broadly adnate to costae;
segment margins slightly recurved, rarely concealing sporangia.
sessile, broadly adnate to costae;
segment margins slightly recurved, rarely concealing sporangia.
containing 16 or 32 spores.
containing 64 spores.
= 60.
Notholaena grayi
Notholaena lemmonii
Subspecies 2 (2 in the flora).
Notholaena grayi comprises two cytotypes here treated as subspecies. Sexually reproducing diploid populations (N. grayi subsp. sonorensis) are concentrated in southern Arizona and western Mexico. Apogamous triploids (N. grayi subsp. grayi) are more widespread, extending from Arizona to central Texas and northeastern Mexico. Isozyme analyses indicate that subsp. grayi is an autotriploid derivative of subsp. sonorensis (G. J. Gastony and M. D. Windham 1989).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
According to E. Wollenweber (1984), Notholaena lemmonii shows remarkable infraspecific variability in the chemical composition of the farina. R. M. Tryon (1956) recognized two varieties of N. lemmonii. The type collection of the species came from southern Arizona, and all specimens from the flora area are N. lemmonii var. lemmonii. The disjunct N. lemmonii var. australis, known only from the Mexican states of Puebla and Oaxaca, probably represents a distinct species.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Most sporangia containing 16 spores; spores generally more than 55 µm. | subsp. grayi |
1. Most sporangia containing 32 spores; spores generally less than 55 µm. | subsp. sonorensis |
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