Myriopteris wootonii, formerly known as Cheilanthes wootonii,[2] is a species of fern in the Pteridaceae family (subfamily Cheilanthoideae) with the common name Wooton's lace fern.[3]

Myriopteris wootonii

Secure  (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Division: Polypodiophyta
Class: Polypodiopsida
Order: Polypodiales
Family: Pteridaceae
Genus: Myriopteris
Species:
M. wootonii
Binomial name
Myriopteris wootonii
(Maxon) Grusz & Windham

Description

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Myriopteris wootonii grows fronds from a long creeping rhizome with tan to brown scales. The frond (leaf) is 10-20 cm long and 2-3 cm wide with a narrow stem (stipe) 1-2 mm thick. The leaf blade 3 to 4-pinnate and the leaflets are small and nearly round. Their abaxial (lower) surface is concave and densely covered with cilia and lanceolate-linear scales, and their adaxial (top) surface is glabrous.[4] The leaf viewed from above has the general appearance of a flat array of tiny green pebbles, an appearance that is shared by several other Myriopteris species, some with overlapping ranges including Myriopteris covillei and Myriopteris intertexta.[3]

Range and habitat

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Myriopteris wootonii is native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. It grows in sun on rocky outcrops in mountains at 1600 to 1800 meters elevation.[4]

Taxonomy

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Based on plastid DNA sequence analysis, Myriopteris wootonii is very closely related to Myriopteris fendleri.[5]

References

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  1. ^ NatureServe (November 1, 2024). "Cheilanthes wootonii". NatureServe Explorer. Arlington, Virginia. Retrieved November 17, 2024.
  2. ^ Grusz & Windham 2013.
  3. ^ a b "Myriopteris wootonii (Wooton's Lace Fern)". iNaturalist. Retrieved 2022-10-25.
  4. ^ a b "The Jepson Herbarium".
  5. ^ Grusz et al. 2014.

Works cited

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