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ovate-leaf cliff-brake

Stems

creeping, horizontal, slender, 2–5 mm diam.;

scales mostly bicolored, lanceolate, largest scales 0.3–0.8 mm wide, centers black, thick, margins brown, thin, erose-dentate.

Leaves

monomorphic, clustered or scattered along stem, 15–100 cm;

croziers pubescent, bearing a few scales.

Petiole

straw-colored, tan, or gray, not lustrous, rounded or slightly flattened adaxially, without prominent articulation lines.

Blade

elongate-deltate, usually 3-pinnate proximally, 5–25 cm wide;

rachis tan throughout, strongly flexuous, rounded or flattened adaxially, usually glabrous.

Ultimate segments

lanceolate-deltate, 5–20 mm, leathery, glabrous or sparsely pubescent;

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

apex obtuse to truncate.

Pinnae

retrorse, projecting downward toward base of leaf, not decurrent on rachis, with 5–40 ultimate segments;

costae strongly flexuous, 25–120 mm, longer than ultimate segments.

Veins

of ultimate segments obscure.

Sporangia

short-stalked, containing 64 spores, not intermixed with farina-producing glands.

2n

= 58.

Pellaea ovata

Phenology Sporulating summer–fall.
Habitat Rocky slopes and ledges, leaves often supported by associated vegetation, on a variety of substrates including granite and limestone
Elevation 300–1700 m (1000–5600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
TX; Mexico; Central America; South America; West Indies in Hispaniola
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Populations of Pellaea ovata in the flora are composed of sexual diploids; an apogamous triploid cytotype predominates south of the United States. I have not seen herbarium specimens to substantiate reports of P. ovata from New Mexico (D. B. Lellinger 1985).

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

Source FNA vol. 2.
Parent taxa Pteridaceae > Pellaea
Sibling taxa
P. andromedifolia, P. atropurpurea, P. brachyptera, P. breweri, P. bridgesii, P. cordifolia, P. gastonyi, P. glabella, P. intermedia, P. lyngholmii, P. mucronata, P. ternifolia, P. truncata, P. wrightiana
Name authority (Desvaux) Weatherby: Contr. Gray Herb. 114: 34. 1936 Pteris ovata Desvaux, Mém. Soc. Lin. (1827)
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