Polypodium calirhiza
Polypodium californicum
licorice fern, nested polypody
California polypody
rarely whitish to glaucous, moderately stout to slender, to 8 mm diam., acrid- or slightly sweet-tasting;
scales concolored brown or slightly darker near point of attachment, lanceolate-ovate, symmetric, margins entire to erose.
dull or inconspicuously glaucous, moderately stout, to 10 mm diam., acrid or bland-tasting;
scales uniformly brown or slightly darker near point of attachment, lanceolate-ovate, symmetric, margins entire to erose.
to 70 cm.
to 70 cm.
usually slender, to 3 mm diam.
usually slender, to 3 mm diam.
lanceolate-ovate to oblong, pinnatifid, widest below middle or occasionally at base, to 16 cm wide, leathery to herbaceous;
rachis sparsely scaly to glabrescent abaxially, puberulent adaxially;
scales lanceolate-ovate, usually more than 3 cells wide.
deltate to lanceolate-ovate, pinnatifid, usually widest near base, to 20 cm wide, leathery to herbaceous;
rachis sparsely scaly to glabrescent abaxially, puberulent adaxially;
scales deltate to ovate, usually more than 10 cells wide.
linear-lanceolate to oblong, usually less than 15 mm wide;
margins conspicuously serrate;
apex obtuse to acute;
midrib puberulent adaxially.
linear-lanceolate to oblong, usually less than 15 mm wide;
margins serrate;
apex widely obtuse to rarely attenuate;
midrib puberulent adaxially.
midway between margin and midrib or slightly closer to midrib, usually less than 4 mm diam., oval when immature.
midway between margin and midrib or slightly closer to midrib, usually less than 3 mm diam., oval when immature.
more than 58 µm, verrucose, surface projections less than 3 µm. 2n = 148.
less than 58 µm, verrucose, with surface projections to 3 µm. 2n = 74.
weakly to moderately anastomosing, some to many segments lacking areoles.
weakly to conspicuously anastomosing, most segments containing several areoles, often forming 1 row.
absent.
absent.
Polypodium calirhiza
Polypodium californicum
Although originally considered a cytotype of Polypodium californicum, P. calirhiza is an allotetraploid involving P. californicum and P. glycyrrhiza (S. A. Whitmore and A. R. Smith 1991) and therefore should be treated as a distinct species. Some individuals of P. calirhiza can be difficult to distinguish from the two parental species (see comments under P. californicum and P. glycyrrhiza); most collections can be identified based on a combination of blade shape, venation pattern, spore size, and geographic distribution. Polypodium calirhiza hybridizes with P. glycyrrhiza to produce sterile triploid plants with misshapen spores.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
R. M. Lloyd and F. A. Lang (1964) recognized two cytotypes within Polypodium californicum. The tetraploid has proved to be an allopolyploid involving P. californicum and P. glycyrrhiza and is treated here as a separate species, P. calirhiza, following S. A. Whitmore and A. R. Smith (1991). Polypodium californicum can be confused with P. calirhiza, but it usually can be distinguished by blade shape, venation, spore size, and geographic distribution. D. S. Barrington et al. (1986) reported that spores of northern populations of P. californicum can be as large as those of P. calirhiza, but the former species has veins forming more areoles per segment than does the latter.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
CA
OR
Flora NW
PNW Herbaria
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
