Cheilanthes aemula

Maxon

Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 10: 495. 1908.

Common names: Texas lip fern
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 2.

Stems short-creeping, usually 4–7 mm diam.; scales uniformly brown or slightly darker at base, linear-lanceolate, straight to slightly contorted, loosely appressed, persistent. Leaves clustered, 10–50 cm; vernation noncircinate. Petiole black to dark-brown, rounded adaxially. Blade ovate-deltate, 3-pinnate to 3-pinnate-pinnatifid at base, 4–15 cm wide; rachis rounded adaxially, lacking scales, with dimorphic pubescence, abaxially sparsely hirsute, adaxially covered with tortuous, appressed hairs. Pinnae not articulate, dark color of stalk continuing into pinna base, basal pair slightly larger than adjacent pair, somewhat inequilateral, proximal basiscopic pinnules conspicuously enlarged, appearing glabrous or sparsely pubescent adaxially. Costae black adaxially for most of length; abaxial scales absent. Ultimate segments narrowly elliptic to elongate-deltate, not beadlike, the largest 3–6 mm, abaxially and adaxially sparsely hirsute to glabrescent. False indusia marginal, slightly differentiated, 0.05–0.25 mm wide. Sori somewhat discontinuous, often concentrated on interrupted lateral lobes. Sporangia containing 64 spores. 2n = 58.


Phenology: Sporulating summer–fall.
Habitat: Rocky slopes and ledges, apparently confined to limestone
Elevation: 100–500 m

Discussion

In addition to the characteristics mentioned in the key, Cheilanthes aemula is distinguished from North American populations of C. alabamensis by having 64 spores per sporangium rather than 32. In the flora, this species is known from about 10 localities in central and western Texas.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.
... more about "Cheilanthes aemula"
Michael D. Windham +  and Eric W. Rabe +
slightly larger +
cuneate +, truncate +  and rounded +
scaly rarely glabrous adaxially pubescent +  and glabrous +
3-pinnate +  and 3-pinnate-pinnatifid +
4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br /> (15 cm150 mm <br />0.15 m <br />) +
Texas lip fern +
Tex. +  and n Mexico +
100–500 m +
0.005 cm0.05 mm <br />5.0e-5 m <br /> (0.025 cm0.25 mm <br />2.5e-4 m <br />) +
yellow +  and white +
obcordate;reniform +
Rocky slopes and ledges, apparently confined to limestone +
tortuous +
monomorphic +
clustered;widely scattered +
recurved +  and reflexed +
noncircinate +  and circinate +
10 cm100 mm <br />0.1 m <br /> (50 cm500 mm <br />0.5 m <br />) +
denticulate +  and entire +
black;dark-brown +
glabrous +, scaly +  and pubescent +
Sporulating summer–fall. +
not articulate +
pubescent +  and glabrous +
enlarged +
inequilateral +
Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. +
darker;brown +
straight +
persistent +
linear-lanceolate +
yellowish +, brown +  and black or gray +
cristate +  and tetrahedral-globose +
dark colored +
0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br /> (0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br />) +
ascending +  and horizontal +
Cheilanthes aemula +
Cheilanthes +
species +
adaxially sparsely hirsute;glabrescent +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br />) +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (?) +  and 0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br /> (?) +
crescent--shaped +  and roundish +
branched +  and anastomosing +