Flora of North America species comparison

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.

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.

monomorphic, clustered on stem, 10–50 cm;

croziers sparsely to densely villous.

monomorphic, scattered along stem, 10–60 cm;

croziers not conspicuously pubescent, densely scaly.

black or dark purple, 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.

linear to ovate, deeply pinnate-pinnatifid proximally, 2.5–8 cm wide;

rachis black or purple throughout, straight, often flattened adaxially, glabrous or villous.

elongate-deltate, usually 3-pinnate proximally, 3–20 cm wide;

rachis tan throughout, straight to slightly flexuous, rounded or flattened adaxially, glabrous or pubescent.

linear-oblong, 10–40 mm, leathery, glabrous to sparsely villous abaxially on midrib;

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

apex mucronate.

elliptic to ovate, 3–15 mm, somewhat herbaceous, glabrous to sparsely pubescent abaxially;

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

apex retuse to rounded.

perpendicular to rachis or slightly ascending, not decurrent on rachis, ternate at base of leaf;

costae absent.

ascending or perpendicular to rachis, not decurrent on rachis, with 8–50 ultimate segments;

costae usually straight, 15–140 mm, longer than ultimate segments.

of ultimate segments obscure.

of ultimate segments evident.

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

short-stalked, containing 64 or 32 spores, not intermixed with farina-producing glands.

= 58;

n = 2n = 87, 116, apogamous.