Pellaea cordifolia (Sessé & Moc.) A.R.Sm.

  • 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

    Pellaea cordifolia (Sessé & Moc.) A.R.Sm.

  • Description

    Species Description - Rhizome short, stout, compact; rhizome scales 5-6 mm long, 0.3-0.8 mm wide, dull tan to reddish-brown, linear-lanceolate, irregularly denticulate, tortuous; fronds to 30 cm long, erect; stipe ¼-½ the frond length, nearly terete to plane on upper surface, stramineous and glistening, glabrous or rarely sparsely pubescent; rachis and segment stalks essentially glabrous, occasional short hairs on pinnule stalk; blade narrowly oblong to deltate, bipinnate, light green, yellow-green to gray-green; pinnae widely spreading to slightly ascending, segments round, ca. 12 mm long, 9-11 mm wide, cordate at base, terminal pinnule on pinnae with equilateral base, pinnae at broader angle to rachis than in P. sagittata, with only a few hairs on undersurface of pinna rachis near terminal segment and on veins; modified indusium 0.1-0.3 mm wide, entire, occasional hairs along recurved margin, cells along recurved margin whitened; spores brown.

  • Discussion

    Adianthum cordifolium Sessé & Mociño, Naturaleza (Mexico City) II, l(Append.): 182. 1890. Type. Mexico. Cuyuacán and San Agustín nr. Mexico City, Sessé & Mociño s.n. (MA?). Pteris cordata Cavanilles, Descr. pl. 261. 1802. Pellaea cordata (Cavanilles) J. Smith, Cat. ferns Kew 4. 1856, nom. illeg., non Fée, 1852. Pellaea cardiomorpha Weatherby, J. Arnold Arbor. 24: 309. 1943. Pellaea sagittata (Cavanilles) Link var. cordata (Cavanilles) A. Tryon, Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 44: 166. 1957. Type. Mexico. Chapultepec, Née s.n. (MA; isotype F). For additional synonyms, see A. Tryon (1957). Pellaea cordifolia is very close to P. sagittata and often placed as variety of it. The former is distinct in its round-cordate segments.

  • Distribution

    Dry, rocky slopes; Coixtlahuaca, Juquila; 2100 m. Mexico (Chih, Coah, Dgo, Zac, Gto, Qro, NL, SLP, Hgo, Mex, DF, Mich, Mor, Pue, Oax, Chis); sw US.

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