Polypodium scouleri
Polypodium sibiricum
coast, coast polypody, leather fern, leather-leaf fern, leather-leaf polypody, leathery polypody, leathery polypody fern, Scouler's polypody
polypode de sibérie, Siberian polypody, Siberian polypody fern
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 concolored to weakly bicolored, uniformly dark brown, often lighter near base, lanceolate, contorted distally, margins denticulate.
to 85 cm.
to 25 cm.
stout, to 3 mm diam.
slender, to 1 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-linear, pinnatifid, usually widest at or 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 7 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.
less than 52 µm, tuberculate with tubercles, surface projections more than 3 µm tall.
anastomosing, usually forming 1 row of areoles.
free.
absent.
present, less than 40 per sorus, heads normally without glandular hairs.
= 74, 111.
= 74.
Polypodium scouleri
Polypodium sibiricum
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.)
This boreal diploid has traditionally been identified as Polypodium virginianum (T. M. C. Taylor 1970; F. A. Lang 1971), but recent investigations indicate that it is conspecific with the eastern Eurasian species P. sibiricum (C. H. Haufler and M. D. Windham 1991). The sporangiasters of P. sibiricum normally lack glands, but some collections have sporangiasters with a few glandular hairs. Although such collections could be misidentified, the spores of P. sibiricum are less than 52 µm and clearly distinguish it from P. virginianum, P. amorphum, and P. saximontanum. Hybridization occurs between P. sibiricum and P. virginianum where these species overlap in Canada, forming triploid individuals with misshapen spores (C. H. Haufler and Wang Z. R. 1991).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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