Cheilanthes leucopoda

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Fil. Spec. 66. 1841.

Common names: White-footed lip fern
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 2.

Stems compact, usually 4–10 mm diam.; scales uniformly brown, linear-subulate, straight to slightly contorted, loosely appressed, persistent. Leaves clustered, 7–30 cm; vernation circinate. Petiole straw-colored, shallowly grooved distally on adaxial surface. Blade elongate-pentagonal, 4-pinnate at base, 3–10 cm wide; rachis grooved adaxially, lacking scales, with monomorphic pubescence. Pinnae not articulate, color of stalk continuing into pinna base, basal pair larger than adjacent pair, strongly inequilateral, proximal basiscopic pinnules greatly enlarged, appearing hirsute adaxially. Costae green or straw-colored adaxially for entire length; abaxial scales absent. Ultimate segments oblong to lanceolate, not especially beadlike, the largest 3–5 mm, abaxially and adaxially hirsute with long, noncapitate hairs. False indusia marginal, weakly differentiated, 0.05–0.25 mm wide. Sori usually discontinuous, concentrated on apical and lateral lobes. Sporangia containing 32 spores. 2n = 60.


Phenology: Sporulating summer–fall.
Habitat: Rocky slopes and ledges, apparently confined to limestone
Elevation: 300–500 m

Discussion

In North America, Cheilanthes leucopoda is known only from the Edwards Plateau in west central Texas. It is unique among local Cheilanthes species in being a sexual diploid that consistently produces 32 spores per sporangium.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.
... more about "Cheilanthes leucopoda"
Michael D. Windham +  and Eric W. Rabe +
cuneate +, truncate +  and rounded +
scaly rarely glabrous adaxially pubescent +  and glabrous +
elongate-pentagonal +
3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br /> (10 cm100 mm <br />0.1 m <br />) +
White-footed lip fern +
straw-colored +  and green +
Tex. +  and n Mexico +
300–500 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 +
noncapitate +
monomorphic +
clustered;widely scattered +
recurved +  and reflexed +
noncircinate +  and circinate +
7 cm70 mm <br />0.07 m <br /> (30 cm300 mm <br />0.3 m <br />) +
circinate +
denticulate +  and entire +
straw-colored +
glabrous +, scaly +  and pubescent +
flattened +  and rounded +
Sporulating summer–fall. +
not articulate +
enlarged +
inequilateral +
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 /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
ascending +  and horizontal +
Cheilanthes leucopoda +
Cheilanthes +
species +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 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 +