Polypodium scouleri
Polypodium saximontanum
coast, coast polypody, leather fern, leather-leaf fern, leather-leaf polypody, leathery polypody, leathery polypody fern, Scouler's polypody
Rocky Mountain polypody
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.
often whitish pruinose, slender, to 6 mm diam., acrid-tasting;
scales weakly bicolored, lanceolate, contorted distally, bases and margins light brown, sometimes with dark central stripe, margins often coarsely dentate.
to 85 cm.
to 25 cm.
stout, to 3 mm diam.
slender, to 1.5 mm diam.
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.
oblong to linear, pinnatifid, usually widest near middle, to 4 cm wide, somewhat leathery;
rachis sparsely scaly to glabrescent abaxially, glabrous adaxially;
scales lanceolate-ovate, usually more than 6 cells wide.
oblong to linear, usually more than 12 mm wide;
margins entire to crenulate;
apex rounded to rarely broadly acute;
midrib glabrous adaxially.
oblong, less than 12 mm wide;
margins entire to crenulate;
apex rounded to broadly acute;
midrib glabrous adaxially.
crowded against midrib, usually more than 3 mm diam., circular when immature.
midway between margin and midrib to nearly marginal, less than 3 mm diam., circular when immature.
usually less than 52 µm, rugose, surface projections less than 3 µm tall.
more than 58 µm, tuberculate, surface projections more than 3 µm tall.
anastomosing, usually forming 1 row of areoles.
free.
absent.
present, usually less than 40 per sorus, heads with a few glandular hairs or rarely without glands.
= 74, 111.
= 148.
Polypodium scouleri
Polypodium saximontanum
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.)
Polypodium saximontanum is an allotetraploid species whose progenitor diploid species are P. amorphum and P. sibiricum (M. D. Windham 1993). Prior to its recognition as a distinct species, collections of P. saximontanum were variously referred to P. montense F. A. Lang (= P. amorphum), P. hesperium, and/or P. virginianum. In addition to its separate geographic range, P. saximontanum can be distinguished from P. virginianum by having narrower leaves and a reduced frequency of glandular hairs on its sporangiasters. Polypodium saximontanum also has a separate range from P. amorphum and has spores with large (greater than 3 µm tall) projections. Although P. saximontanum overlaps in range with P. hesperium, the latter species has no sporangiasters. Tetraploid hybrids of these two species have misshapen spores.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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