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coast, coast polypody, leather fern, leather-leaf fern, leather-leaf polypody, leathery polypody, leathery polypody fern, Scouler's polypody

licorice fern, nested polypody

Stems

conspicuously whitish pruinose, stout, 3–12 mm diam., bland to slightly sweet-tasting;

scales concolored to weakly bicolored, uniformly dark brown or with pale margins and base, lanceolate, symmetric, margins denticulate.

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.

Leaves

to 85 cm.

to 70 cm.

Petiole

stout, to 3 mm diam.

usually slender, to 3 mm diam.

Blade

ovate-lanceolate, pinnatifid, usually widest just above base, to 27 cm wide, stiff and leathery;

rachis sparsely scaly to glabrescent abaxially, glabrous adaxially;

scales bicolored, ovate-lanceolate, much more than 6 cells wide.

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.

Segments

oblong to linear, usually more than 12 mm wide;

margins entire to crenulate;

apex rounded to rarely broadly acute;

midrib glabrous adaxially.

linear-lanceolate to oblong, usually less than 15 mm wide;

margins conspicuously serrate;

apex obtuse to acute;

midrib puberulent adaxially.

Sori

crowded against midrib, usually more than 3 mm diam., circular when immature.

midway between margin and midrib or slightly closer to midrib, usually less than 4 mm diam., oval when immature.

Spores

usually less than 52 µm, rugose, surface projections less than 3 µm tall.

more than 58 µm, verrucose, surface projections less than 3 µm. 2n = 148.

Venation

anastomosing, usually forming 1 row of areoles.

weakly to moderately anastomosing, some to many segments lacking areoles.

Sporangiasters

absent.

absent.

2n

= 74, 111.

Polypodium scouleri

Polypodium calirhiza

Phenology Sporulating late fall–spring. Sporulating winter–summer.
Habitat Cracks and ledges on cliffs, occasionally epiphytic, on a variety of substrates but preferring volcanic substrates in warmer, drier climates, rarely far from ocean Cliffs and rocky slopes, sometimes epiphytic, on a variety of substrates but usually on granite or other igneous rocks
Elevation 0–500 m (0–1600 ft) 0–1500 m (0–4900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; OR; WA; BC; Mexico in Baja California
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; OR; Mexico
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[BONAP county map]
Discussion

The distinctive Polypodium scouleri has occasionally been assigned to the genus Goniophlebium because of its anastomosing venation and conspicuous areoles. Its venation pattern can be quite variable, however, and cannot be used as the sole feature distinguishing P. scouleri from P. californicum. Combining venation characteristics with others provided in the key distinguishes it clearly from its congeners in Polypodium. Some evidence suggests that P. scouleri hybridizes with P. californicum (S. A. Whitmore, unpubl.). I. Manton (1951) reported diploid and triploid cytotypes for P. scouleri, and variation in spore size suggests that the species may also include tetraploid populations.

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

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.)

Source FNA vol. 2. FNA vol. 2.
Parent taxa Polypodiaceae > Polypodium Polypodiaceae > Polypodium
Sibling taxa
P. amorphum, P. appalachianum, P. californicum, P. calirhiza, P. glycyrrhiza, P. hesperium, P. saximontanum, P. sibiricum, P. triseriale, P. virginianum
P. amorphum, P. appalachianum, P. californicum, P. glycyrrhiza, P. hesperium, P. saximontanum, P. scouleri, P. sibiricum, P. triseriale, P. virginianum
Synonyms P. intermedium, P. vulgare var. intermedium
Name authority Hooker & Greville: Icon. Filic. 1: 56. (1829) S. A. Whitmore & A. R. Smith: Madroño 38: 235. (1991)
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