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Phillips' cliff fern

New Mexican cliff fern, New Mexico cliff fern

Stems

compact to short-creeping, erect to horizontal, with few to many persistent petiole bases of unequal lengths;

scales mostly uniformly brown but at least some bicolored with dark central stripe and pale brown margins, narrowly lanceolate.

compact, erect to ascending, with few to many persistent petiole bases of unequal lengths;

scales mostly uniformly brown but at least some bicolored with dark central stripe and pale brown margins, narrowly lanceolate.

Leaves

5–35 × 1.5–6 cm.

4–30 × 1.5–6 cm.

Petiole

light brown or straw-colored when mature, occasionally darker at very base, not articulate above base, relatively brittle and easily shattered.

light brown or straw-colored when mature, occasionally darker at very base, not articulate above base, relatively brittle and easily shattered.

Blade

lanceolate, usually 2-pinnate proximally, sparsely to moderately glandular, never viscid;

glandular hairs with thin stalks and slightly expanded tips;

rachis with scattered glandular hairs and hairlike scales.

linear to lanceolate, usually pinnate-pinnatifid proximally, glabrescent to sparsely glandular, never viscid;

glandular hairs with thin stalks and slightly expanded tips;

rachis with scattered glandular hairs and rare, hairlike scales.

Pinnae

elongate-deltate to elliptic, longer than wide, often attenuate to a narrowly acute apex;

largest pinnae with 7–18 pairs of widely spaced pinnules;

abaxial and adaxial surfaces somewhat glandular, lacking nonglandular hairs or scales.

ovate-deltate to elliptic, longer than wide, abruptly tapered to a rounded or broadly acute apex;

largest pinnae with 3–7 pairs of closely spaced pinnules;

abaxial and adaxial surfaces glabrescent to sparsely glandular, lacking nonglandular hairs or scales.

Indusia

of narrow, filamentous segments, these uniseriate for most of length, composed of ± isodiametric cells, often greatly surpassing mature sporangia.

of narrow, filamentous segments, these uniseriate for most of length, composed of ± isodiametric cells, usually surpassing mature sporangia.

Spores

averaging 37–44 µm. 2n = 76.

averaging 44–52 µm. 2n = 152.

Pinnules

dentate, often shallowly lobed;

margins often lustrous adaxially, somewhat thickened, with occasional glands, appearing ciliate due to presence of multicellular translucent projections on teeth that are often prolonged to form twisted filaments.

dentate, often shallowly lobed;

margins nonlustrous, thin, with occasional glands, lacking cilia, with 1–2-celled translucent projections on teeth.

Vein

tips usually enlarged to form whitish hydathodes visible adaxially.

tips occasionally enlarged to form whitish hydathodes visible adaxially.

Woodsia phillipsii

Woodsia neomexicana

Phenology Sporulating summer–fall. Sporulating summer–fall.
Habitat Cliffs and rocky slopes, usually on granitic or volcanic substrates Cliffs and rocky slopes, usually on sandstone or igneous substrates
Elevation 1600–3200 m (5200–10500 ft) 300–3500 m (1000–11500 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; NM; TX; n Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; CO; NM; OK; SD; TX
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Woodsia phillipsii traditionally has been identified as W. mexicana. It differs from typical W. mexicana, however, in having completely filamentous indusial segments, multicellular (often filamentous) translucent projections on the pinnule margins, a greater number of pinnules per pinna, and a diploid chromosome number. Woodsia phillipsii is the only diploid species currently recognized in the W. mexicana complex, and it was probably involved in the hybrid origins of both W. mexicana and W. neomexicana. Some individuals of the latter species are difficult to distinguish from W. phillipsii (see comments under W. neomexicana), and the two taxa occasionally hybridize to produce sterile triploids of intermediate morphology. Woodsia phillipsii is also known to hybridize with W. plummerae (see comments under that species) and W. cochisensis.

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

Woodsia neomexicana traditionally has been identified as W. mexicana. Both taxa are tetraploid and may share one parent (M. D. Windham 1993); W. neomexicana is separated from typical W. mexicana by its completely filamentous indusial segments, reduced glandularity, and more northerly distribution. Isozyme data suggest that W. neomexicana is an allotetraploid hybrid between W. phillipsii and the diploid progenitor of W. oregana subsp. cathcartiana (M. D. Windham 1993). As with all allopolyploids, W. neomexicana can vary in the direction of either parent, and some plants (especially those resembling W. phillipsii) can be difficult to identify. All characters except those controlled directly by ploidy level show this tendency, and spore size remains the most dependable character for distinguishing W. phillipsii and W. neomexicana. This species hybridizes with W. oregana subsp. cathcartiana and W. phillipsii to produce sterile tetraploids and triploids, respectively.

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

Source FNA vol. 2. FNA vol. 2.
Parent taxa Dryopteridaceae > Woodsia Dryopteridaceae > Woodsia
Sibling taxa
W. alpina, W. cochisensis, W. glabella, W. ilvensis, W. neomexicana, W. obtusa, W. oregana, W. plummerae, W. scopulina
W. alpina, W. cochisensis, W. glabella, W. ilvensis, W. obtusa, W. oregana, W. phillipsii, W. plummerae, W. scopulina
Name authority Windham: Contr. Univ. Michigan Herb. 19: 50. (1993) Windham: Contr. Univ. Michigan Herb. 19: 52. (1993)
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