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Sierra cliff-brake, Sierran cliffbrake

cliff brake, spiny cliff-brake

Stems

compact, ascending, stout, 5–10 mm diam.;

scales bicolored, linear-subulate, 0.1–0.3 mm wide, centers dark brown to black, thick, margins brown, thin, dentate.

compact, ascending, stout, 5–10 mm diam.;

scales bicolored, linear-subulate, 0.1–0.3 mm wide, centers black, thick, margins brown, thin, erose-dentate.

Leaves

monomorphic, clustered on stem, 8–40 cm;

croziers sparsely villous.

somewhat dimorphic, sterile leaves shorter and less divided than fertile leaves, clustered on stems, 8–40 cm;

croziers sparsely villous.

Petiole

dark brown, lustrous, flattened or slightly grooved adaxially, without prominent articulation lines.

dark brown, lustrous, flattened or slightly grooved adaxially, without prominent articulation lines.

Blade

linear-oblong, 2-pinnate proximally, 1–4 cm wide;

rachis brown throughout, straight, shallowly grooved adaxially, usually glabrous.

ovate-deltate, usually 2-pinnate proximally, 4–18 cm wide;

rachis brown throughout, straight, shallowly grooved adaxially, usually glabrous.

Ultimate segments

linear, 5–20 mm, leathery, glabrous;

margins on fertile segments strongly revolute, covering more than 1/2 abaxial surface, borders greenish, crenate;

apex mucronate.

narrowly oblong, 4–10 mm, leathery, glabrous;

margins recurved on fertile segments, usually covering less than 1/2 abaxial surface, borders whitish, nearly entire;

apex mucronate.

Pinnae

strongly ascending, not decurrent on rachis, usually with 5–11 ultimate segments;

costae straight, 5–20 mm, usually shorter than ultimate segments.

perpendicular to rachis to slightly ascending, not decurrent on rachis, usually with 9–25 ultimate segments;

costae straight, 20–70 mm, much longer than fertile ultimate segments.

Veins

of ultimate segments obscure.

of ultimate segments obscure.

Sporangia

short-stalked, containing 64 spores, intermixed with abundant farina-producing glands.

long-stalked, containing 64 spores, intermixed with abundant farina-producing glands.

2n

= 58.

Pellaea brachyptera

Pellaea truncata

Phenology Sporulating summer–fall. Sporulating late spring–fall.
Habitat Cliffs and rocky slopes, usually on igneous substrates, occasionally on serpentine Cliffs and rocky slopes, on various substrates but rarely observed on limestone
Elevation 900–2700 m (3000–8900 ft) 600–2500 m (2000–8200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; OR; WA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; CA; CO; NM; NV; TX; UT; n Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

The distinctive Pellaea brachyptera reportedly hybridizes with P. mucronata (A. F. Tryon 1957; D. B. Lellinger 1985); the hybrids are morphologically intermediate plants with malformed spores.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Most manuals refer to Pellaea truncata as P. longimucronata, a name shown to be invalid by A. Cronquist et al. (1972+, vol. 1). Populations located near the range of P. mucronata in the Mojave Desert are often difficult to identify because of the subtlety of the characters involved and an apparent tendency to produce sterile (and possibly fertile) hybrids. Morphologically intermediate hybrids between P. truncata and P. wrightiana are common in regions where the ranges of the two species overlap, but these are easily identified by their malformed spores.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 2. FNA vol. 2.
Parent taxa Pteridaceae > Pellaea Pteridaceae > Pellaea
Sibling taxa
P. andromedifolia, P. atropurpurea, P. breweri, P. bridgesii, P. cordifolia, P. gastonyi, P. glabella, P. intermedia, P. lyngholmii, P. mucronata, P. ovata, P. ternifolia, P. truncata, P. wrightiana
P. andromedifolia, P. atropurpurea, P. brachyptera, P. breweri, P. bridgesii, P. cordifolia, P. gastonyi, P. glabella, P. intermedia, P. lyngholmii, P. mucronata, P. ovata, P. ternifolia, P. wrightiana
Synonyms Platyloma brachyptera P. longimucronata, P. wrightiana var. longimucronata
Name authority (T. Moore) Baker: in Hooker & Baker, Syn. Fil. ed. 2 477. (1874) Goodding: Muhlenbergia 8: 94. (1912)
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