Kingdom Plantae Class Polypodiopsida Family Pteridaceae Rank Species | Division Pteridophyta Order Polypodiales Genus Cheilanthes | |
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Similar Cheilanthes feei, Cheilanthes, Cheilanthes parryi, Astrolepis, Cheilanthes clevelandii | ||
Cheilanthes tomentosa is a perennial fern in the lipfern genus; its common names include woolly lipfern. Woolly lipfern is native to the southern United States, from Pennsylvania to Arizona and Georgia, and Mexico
Description
Woolly lipfern is a fern which typically grows in dry and rocky places such as high cliffs and crevices in substrate such as limestone or granite. It shrivels up into a brown curled mass and appears dead in periods of drought but will green up again in periods of moisture, this has earned it the name resurrection fern. The name lipfern derives from the fact that the sporecases are located at the margins of the leaves which give the leaves a lipped appearance.
Cheilanthes tomentosa is a small fern with leaves from 8-45 cm, typically around 20 cm long and 1.5-8 cm wide. The leaves grow from one central stem, thus this fern is clump forming. The leaves are typically lanceolate shaped, they are thrice cut such that each leaf is cut into leaflets and each leaflet is cut into subleaflets and the subleaflets are themselves cut too. The entirety of the leaves are densely woolly with brownish-white hairs, especially on the undersides. There are approximately 20 leaflets which are arranged widely spaced and almost oppositely near the base of the leaf and get closer together on the upper parts of the leaf. The leaflets and subleaflets are very round in appearance and mostly ovate in shape. The costa (midrib) is mostly green and covered in very small (.1-.4 mm) scales, the scales have smooth edges and are linear in shape with truncate base. The stalk is brown, rounded on the bottom side, and usually relatively short and covered in scales which are almost hidden under dark tan wool. The scales are mostly bicolored with a dark central stripe and light brown margins, they are linear-lanceolate, persistent and loosely apressed to the stem.