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trans-Pecos cliffbrake

Bridges' cliff-brake

Stems

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 mostly weakly bicolored, linear-subulate, 0.1–0.3 mm wide, centers dark brown, thin, margins lighter, thin, denticulate to entire.

Leaves

monomorphic, clustered on stem, 10–50 cm;

croziers sparsely to densely villous.

monomorphic, clustered on stem, 7–30 cm;

croziers nearly glabrous.

Petiole

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

dark brown, lustrous, rounded adaxially, without prominent articulation lines.

Blade

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

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

linear, 1-pinnate, 1.5–4 cm wide;

rachis brown throughout, straight, rounded adaxially, glabrous.

Ultimate segments

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.

broadly ovate to elliptic, 7–20 mm, leathery, glabrous;

margins plane, not recurved, not covering abaxial surface, borders whitish, entire;

apex obtuse to rounded.

Pinnae

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

costae absent.

perpendicular to slightly ascending, usually not decurrent on rachis, simple and unlobed;

costae absent.

Veins

of ultimate segments obscure.

of ultimate segments obscure.

Sporangia

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

sessile or subsessile, containing 64 spores, intermixed with abundant farina-producing glands.

2n

= 58.

Pellaea ternifolia

Pellaea bridgesii

Phenology Sporulating summer–fall.
Habitat Rocky slopes and cliffs, on granitic substrates
Elevation 1200–3600 m (3900–11800 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; TX; Mexico; Central America; South America; Pacific Islands in Hawaii
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[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; ID; NV; OR
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[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Subspecies 3 (3 in the flora).

Pellaea ternifolia is represented in the flora by three morphologically and chromosomally distinct taxa. These discrete genetic entities also show a tendency toward geographic isolation and are treated here as subspecies. Diploid populations referred to P. ternifolia subsp. ternifolia are scattered from Texas through Mexico to South America. The pubescent tetraploid (P. ternifolia subsp. villosa) follows the Sierra Madre Oriental from Puebla, Mexico, north to Texas; the glabrous tetraploid (P. ternifolia subsp. arizonica) occurs in Arizona, Texas, and northern Mexico. Isozyme and chromosome studies suggest that both tetraploids are segmental allopolyploids produced by hybridization between subsp. ternifolia and other (as yet unidentified) diploid elements within P. ternifolia.

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

The morphology of Pellaea bridgesii is so distinctive that its sectional (and even generic) placement in Pellaea has long been a source of contention. W. H. Wagner Jr. et al. (1983) documented the existence of sterile diploid hybrids (called P. × glaciogena) between P. bridgesii and P. mucronata (see reticulogram), suggesting that P. bridgesii is most closely related to members of sect. Pellaea. In addition to the more obvious characters mentioned above, P. bridgesii is distinguished from other North American species (except P. ternifolia) by its anastomosing veins.

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

Key
1. Rachises villous, especially in axils of pinnae; pinnae with hairs scattered along main veins abaxially.
subsp. villosa
1. Rachises glabrous or with a few widely scattered hairs; pinnae completely glabrous.
→ 2
2. Largest ultimate segments (excluding terminal pinnae) usually less than 18 mm; distal portion of petioles grooved or flattened adaxially; spores usually 39–45 µm diam.
subsp. ternifolia
2. Largest ultimate segments (excluding terminal pinnae) usually more than 18 mm; distal portion of petioles rounded or slightly flattened adaxially; spores usually 46–53 µm diam.
subsp. arizonica
Source FNA vol. 2, p. 180. FNA vol. 2.
Parent taxa Pteridaceae > Pellaea 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. ovata, P. truncata, P. wrightiana
P. andromedifolia, P. atropurpurea, P. brachyptera, P. breweri, P. cordifolia, P. gastonyi, P. glabella, P. intermedia, P. lyngholmii, P. mucronata, P. ovata, P. ternifolia, P. truncata, P. wrightiana
Subordinate taxa
P. ternifolia subsp. arizonica, P. ternifolia subsp. ternifolia, P. ternifolia subsp. villosa
Synonyms Pteris ternifolia
Name authority (Cavanilles) Link: Fil. Spec. 59. (1841) Hooker: Sp. Fil. 2: 238, plate 142b. (1858)
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