Flora of North America species comparison

slender, short-creeping, densely scaly;

scales dark reddish brown to chestnut brown.

stout, short-creeping, densely and conspicuously scaly;

scales pale brown.

clustered, 1–6 dm.

clustered, 1–2 m. Petiole straw-colored to brownish red, to more than 1 m, scaly proximally, otherwise glabrous at maturity.

pale or brownish, 5–30 cm, scaly proximally, otherwise glabrous.

oblong to oblanceolate, irregularly and pedately divided proximally (as in Pteris cretica) and pinnately divided distally, 10–35 × 13–25 cm;

rachis slightly and evenly winged, wing constricted above each pinna pair.

deltate to pentagonal, pedate, ultimate divisions pinnately divided, 1–2 × 1–2 m;

rachis not winged.

of blade numerous, linear-oblong to linear-lanceolate, to 19 × 6 mm, margins entire or serrulate, apex obtuse and rounded to acute;

terminal segments 3–4 cm longer and more tapering than lateral segments.

3–7 pairs, widely spaced, distal pinnae simple, adnate and decurrent to rachis;

pinnae remaining green through winter, not articulate to rachis, lanceolate to linear;

sterile pinnae wider than fertile pinnae (to ca. 1.2 cm), margins irregularly serrate to serrulate;

fertile pinnae mostly less than 5 mm, margins entire to serrate at apex;

adaxial costae with sparse, septate hairs;

proximal pinnae with 1–4 elongate basal segments.

few, closely spaced, remaining green through winter, not decurrent on rachis, not articulate to rachis, oblong-lanceolate, 1–3-forked, to 7 × 6 dm;

base asymmetrical, acute;

apex acute;

rachis and costae glabrate or with minute hairs, especially near axils of proximal pinnae; penultimate pinnules linear to linear-lanceolate, pinnatifid, separated, not remaining green through winter, not articulate to rachis.

free, simple or forked.

anastomosing near costae and costules, becoming forked and free near margins of ultimate segments.

narrow, blade tissue exposed abaxially.

narrow, blade tissue exposed abaxially.

= 116.