Cheilanthes hirsuta Link

  • Authority

    Mickel, John T. & Beitel, Joseph M. 1988. Pteridophyte Flora of Oaxaca, Mexico. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 46: 1-580.

  • Family

    Pteridaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Cheilanthes hirsuta Link

  • Description

    Species Description - Rhizome stout, compact, horizontal; rhizome scales 2 mm long, 0.5 mm wide, bicolorous, dark brown, lustrous, linear-subulate, with narrow, light brown, entire margin; fronds to 45 cm long, clumped, somewhat dimorphic, the sterile ones shorter, more broadly deltate and with broader segments; stipe the frond length, castaneous, grooved, glabrous; blade tripinnate-pinnatifid to quadripinnate-pinnatifid, ovate to deltate, segments narrowly obcuneate, linear, obtuse, often cemuous; upper surface with long (0.3 mm), white papillae on recurved portion and on false indusium; lower surface glabrous; sori at vein ends, laminar margin curved, strongly modified into 0.5 mm wide false indusium, margin long-fimbriate (hairs 0.3 mm), long-decurrent along pinnule axes; spores grayish-brown.

  • Discussion

    Type. No specimen cited, cult. Berlin (B?, photos GH!, US!). heilanthes rufescens Link, Hort. berol. 2: 39. 1833. Type. No specimen cited. Cheilanthes crenulata Link, Hort. berol. 2: 41. 1833. Type. No specimen cited. Cheilanthes pyramidalis Fée, Mém. foug. 7: 38, t. 25, f. 3. 1857. Syntypes. Mexico. Valley of Mexico, Schaffner 88; San Agostín, Schaffner 305; Guati-malpan, Schaffner 304 (P?; isosyntype 305 at K!). Cheilanthes venusta (not validly published?) Fée var. aurata Fée, Mém. foug. 6: 20. 1857. Type. Mexico. Oaxaca: San Pedro Nolasco, Galeotti 6560 (P?). Pellaea angustifolia (Humboldt, Bonpland & Kunth) Baker var. elongata Rovirosa, Pteridogr. Sur Méx. 130. 1909. Type. Mexico. Chiapas: Mesa de Coapilla, Rovirosa 1059 (PH, frag. US!, photo US!). This species is most closely allied to C. marginala and C. lerstenii (q.v.). Several scattered collections (Chih, Sin, Jal, Hgo, Oax (Ixtlán, 6000-7000' [1830-2130 m], 7028), Guat) have indusia long-ciliate but not apparently decurrent. Whether these are indeed abnormal C. hirsuta or represent a genetic variant awaits further study.

  • Distribution

    Grassy slopes and rocks in dry pine-oak woods to moist woods; Centro, Etla, Ixtlán, Juquila, Miahuatlán, Mixe, Pochutla, Putla, Sola de Vega, Teotitlán, Tlacolula, Tla-xiaco; 850-2550 m. Mexico (BC, Chih, Son, Sin, Dgo, Nay, Jal, Zac, Ags, Gto, Qro, Col, Mich, Gro, Mex, DF, Mor, Tlax, NL, SLP, Hgo, Ver, Pue, Oax, Chis); Guat to CR.

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