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.

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

scales uniformly reddish brown (or tan), linear-subulate, 0.1–0.3 mm wide, thin, margins entire to denticulate.

monomorphic, clustered on stem, 10–50 cm;

croziers sparsely to densely villous.

somewhat dimorphic, sterile leaves shorter and less divided than fertile leaves, clustered on stems, 5–50 cm;

croziers villous.

black or dark purple, lustrous, rounded or slightly flattened adaxially, without prominent articulation lines.

reddish purple to nearly black, lustrous, rounded 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 2-pinnate proximally, 2–18 cm wide;

rachis reddish purple throughout, straight, rounded adaxially, densely pubescent adaxially with short, curly, appressed hairs.

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.

linear-oblong, 10–75 mm, leathery, sparsely villous abaxially near midrib;

margins weakly recurved to plane on fertile segments, usually covering less than 1/2 abaxial surface, borders whitish, crenulate;

apex obtuse to slightly mucronate.

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

costae absent.

perpendicular to rachis or ascending, not decurrent on rachis, usually with 3–15 ultimate segments;

costae straight, 10–100 mm, often longer than ultimate segments.

of ultimate segments obscure.

of ultimate segments obscure.

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

long-stalked, containing 32 spores, not intermixed with farina-producing glands.

= 2n = 87, apogamous.