Cheilanthes kaulfussii

Kunze

Linnaea 13: 145. 1839.

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

Stems short-creeping, usually 4–8 mm diam.; scales uniformly black or with narrow brown margins, linear-subulate, straight to slightly contorted, strongly appressed, persistent. Leaves clustered, 8–35 cm; vernation circinate. Petiole dark-brown, flattened or slightly grooved distally on adaxial surface. Blade elongate-pentagonal, 3-pinnate-pinnatifid to 4-pinnate at base, 3–10 cm wide; rachis grooved adaxially, lacking scales, with monomorphic pubescence. Pinnae not articulate, dark color of stalk continuing into pinna base, basal pair larger than adjacent pair, strongly inequilateral, proximal basiscopic pinnules greatly enlarged, appearing glandular-pubescent adaxially. Costae green or straw-colored adaxially for most of length; abaxial scales absent. Ultimate segments linear-oblong, not especially beadlike, largest 3–8 mm, abaxially and adaxially glandular-pubescent with short, sticky, capitate glands. False indusia marginal, weakly differentiated, 0.05–0.25 mm wide. Sori usually discontinuous, concentrated on apical and lateral lobes. Sporangia containing 32 spores.


Phenology: Sporulating summer–fall.
Habitat: Rocky slopes and ledges, usually on igneous substrates
Elevation: 300–2500 m

Distribution

V2 359-distribution-map.gif

Tex., Mexico, Central America, South America

Discussion

The few populations of Cheilanthes kaulfussii known in the flora produce 32 spores per sporangium and reproduce apogamously (D. M. Benham 1982). Although the chromosome number of North American specimens has not been established with certainty, the specimens appear to be polyploids that may have been derived from 64-spored Mexican populations through autopolyploidy. The species is quite distinctive and should not be confused with any other member of the flora.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.
... more about "Cheilanthes kaulfussii"
Michael D. Windham +  and Eric W. Rabe +
cuneate +, truncate +  and rounded +
scaly rarely glabrous adaxially pubescent +  and glabrous +
3-pinnate-pinnatifid +  and 4-pinnate +
3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br /> (10 cm100 mm <br />0.1 m <br />) +
Glandular lip fern +
straw-colored +  and green +
Tex. +, Mexico +, Central America +  and South America +
300–2500 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, usually on igneous substrates +
monomorphic +
clustered;widely scattered +
recurved +  and reflexed +
noncircinate +  and circinate +
8 cm80 mm <br />0.08 m <br /> (35 cm350 mm <br />0.35 m <br />) +
circinate +
denticulate +  and entire +
glabrous +, scaly +  and pubescent +
flattened +
Sporulating summer–fall. +
not articulate +
glandular-pubescent +
enlarged +
inequilateral +
with narrow brown margins;black +
straight +
persistent +
linear-subulate +
yellowish +, brown +  and black or gray +
cristate +  and tetrahedral-globose +
dark colored +
0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br /> (0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br />) +
ascending +  and horizontal +
Cheilanthes kaulfussii +
Cheilanthes +
species +
glandular-pubescent +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 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 +