Pellaea intermedia |
Pellaea cordifolia |
|
---|---|---|
creeping cliff brake, intermediate cliffbrake |
heartleaf cliffbrake |
|
Stems | creeping, horizontal, slender, 2–4 mm diam.; scales mostly bicolored, narrowly lanceolate, largest scales 0.3–0.8 mm wide, centers black, thick, margins brown, thin, irregularly dentate. |
compact, ascending, stout, 6–10 mm diam.; scales uniformly orange-brown and thin, lanceolate to ovate, largest scales 0.3–1 mm wide, margins dentate. |
Leaves | monomorphic, widely scattered along stem, 12–50 cm; croziers pubescent and bearing a few scales. |
somewhat dimorphic, sterile leaves shorter than fertile leaves, clustered on stem, 15–50 cm; croziers not conspicuously pubescent, densely scaly. |
Petiole | straw-colored, tan, or gray, not lustrous, rounded or slightly flattened adaxially, without prominent articulation lines. |
straw-colored, tan, or gray, not lustrous, rounded or slightly flattened adaxially, without prominent articulation lines. |
Blade | ovate to elongate-deltate, usually 2-pinnate proximally, 4–20 cm wide; rachis tan throughout, straight to slightly flexuous, rounded or flattened adaxially, ± pubescent. |
ovate-deltate, 2-pinnate proximally, 5–20 cm wide; rachis tan throughout, straight to slightly flexuous, rounded or flattened adaxially, glabrous. |
Ultimate segments | ovate to elliptic, 5–15 mm, leathery, glabrous or usually puberulent abaxially; margins recurved on fertile segments, usually covering less than 1/2 abaxial surface, borders whitish, nearly entire; apex obtuse to slightly mucronate. |
round-cordate to deltate-cordate, 5–15 mm, herbaceous to leathery, glabrous or puberulent; margins recurved on fertile segments, covering less than 1/2 abaxial surface, borders whitish, crenulate; apex rounded or retuse. |
Pinnae | perpendicular to rachis or slightly ascending, not decurrent on rachis, usually with 7–21 ultimate segments; costae straight to slightly flexuous, 20–100 mm, longer than ultimate segments. |
perpendicular to rachis or slightly ascending, not decurrent on rachis, usually with 3–15 ultimate segments; costae straight to slightly flexuous, 25–100 mm, longer than ultimate segments. |
Veins | of ultimate segments obscure. |
of ultimate segments usually evident. |
Sporangia | short-stalked, containing 32 spores, not intermixed with farina-producing glands. |
short-stalked, containing 64 spores, not intermixed with farina-producing glands. |
n | = 2n = 87, 116, apogamous. |
|
2n | = 58. |
|
Pellaea intermedia |
Pellaea cordifolia |
|
Phenology | Sporulating summer–fall. | Sporulating summer–fall. |
Habitat | Rocky slopes and ledges, on a variety of substrates, including limestone and granite | Rocky slopes and ledges, usually on volcanic substrates |
Elevation | 300–2400 m (1000–7900 ft) | 1000–2500 m (3300–8200 ft) |
Distribution |
AZ; NM; TX; n Mexico
|
TX; Mexico |
Discussion | Plants of Pellaea intermedia in the flora are apogamous triploids and tetraploids; a sexual diploid cytotype has been found near Saltillo, Mexico (A. F. Tryon 1968). Given the high degree of morphologic similarity among the three cytotypes, the North American polyploids probably were derived from the Mexican diploid through autopolyploidy. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
The diploid Pellaea cordifolia has often been treated as a variety of the Central American and South American apogamous triploid, P. sagittata. The two taxa are distinguished by a number of qualitative morphologic features (A. R. Smith 1980), and it seems unlikely that they represent cytotypes of a single species. A. F. Tryon (1957) suggested that P. sagittata may have originated through hybridization between P. ovata and P. cordifolia (as P. sagittata var. cordata). (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 | ||
Synonyms | P. intermedia var. pubescens | Adiantum cordifolium, P. cardiomorpha, P. sagittata var. cordata |
Name authority | Mettenius ex Kuhn: Linnaea 38: 84. (1869) | (Sessé & Mociño) A. R. Smith: Amer. Fern J. 70: 26. (1980) |
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