Flora of North America species comparison

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Polystichum dudleyi

Dudley's sword fern
Stems

erect.
Leaves

monomorphic, arching, 2–10 dm;

bulblets absent.
Petiole

1/5–1/3 length of leaf, densely scaly;

scales light brown, gradually diminishing in size distally.
Blade

broadly lanceolate, 2-pinnate, base not narrowed.
Pinnae

narrowly lanceolate, not overlapping, in 1 plane, 3–13 cm;

base oblique, apex acute with subapical and apical teeth same size;

microscales filiform, lacking projections, sparse abaxially, but longer than in other Polystichum species, forming loosely tangled network over blade and sori (such network only in this species), sparse adaxially.
Indusia

ciliate.
Spores

brown.
Pinnules

± stalked, linear-falcate to oblique-rhombic, acroscopic auricle well developed on proximal pinnules;

margins spinulose-dentate;

apex acute.
2n

= 82.

Polystichum dudleyi
Habitat Moist forests
Elevation 0–100 m (0–300 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Polystichum dudleyi is confined to coastal central California. Hybrids with P. californicum are relatively frequent where these species occur together. These hybrids would key here but, unlike P. dudleyi, they are less divided and have aborted sporangia. The sterile diploid hybrid with P. munitum is also frequent in areas of sympatry. It is indistinguishable from P. californicum except for malformed sporangia and chromosome number (W. H. Wagner Jr. 1973).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 2.
Parent taxa Dryopteridaceae > Polystichum
Sibling taxa
P. acrostichoides, P. aleuticum, P. andersonii, P. braunii, P. californicum, P. imbricans, P. kruckebergii, P. kwakiutlii, P. lemmonii, P. lonchitis, P. microchlamys, P. munitum, P. scopulinum, P. setigerum
Synonyms P. aculeatum var. dudleyi
Name authority Maxon: J. Wash. Acad. Sci. 8: 620. (1918)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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