Pellaea brachyptera
Encyclopedia
Pellaea brachyptera is a species of fern
known by the common name Sierra cliffbrake. It is native to the coastal and inland mountains of northern California
and Oregon
, and a disjunct
population was discovered in Chelan County, Washington, in 1986.
.
Pellaea brachyptera grows from a branching reddish-brown rhizome
several centimeters long. Each gray-green leaf is an elongated, narrow branch up to 40 centimeters long. It is composed of a straight dark brown rachis
lined with leaflets which are each divided into pointed, leathery, almost needlelike linear segments. The edges of each segment are rolled under. The sporangia
are located under the edges.
Fern
A fern is any one of a group of about 12,000 species of plants belonging to the botanical group known as Pteridophyta. Unlike mosses, they have xylem and phloem . They have stems, leaves, and roots like other vascular plants...
known by the common name Sierra cliffbrake. It is native to the coastal and inland mountains of northern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, and a disjunct
Disjunct distribution
In biology, a taxon with a disjunct distribution is one that has two or more groups that are related but widely separated from each other geographically...
population was discovered in Chelan County, Washington, in 1986.
Description
The fern grows in rocky cliffs and slopes of igneous originIgneous rock
Igneous rock is one of the three main rock types, the others being sedimentary and metamorphic rock. Igneous rock is formed through the cooling and solidification of magma or lava...
.
Pellaea brachyptera grows from a branching reddish-brown rhizome
Rhizome
In botany and dendrology, a rhizome is a characteristically horizontal stem of a plant that is usually found underground, often sending out roots and shoots from its nodes...
several centimeters long. Each gray-green leaf is an elongated, narrow branch up to 40 centimeters long. It is composed of a straight dark brown rachis
Rachis
Rachis is a biological term for a main axis or "shaft".-In zoology:In vertebrates a rachis can refer to the series of articulated vertebrae, which encase the spinal cord. In this case the rachis usually form the supporting axis of the body and is then called the spine or vertebral column...
lined with leaflets which are each divided into pointed, leathery, almost needlelike linear segments. The edges of each segment are rolled under. The sporangia
Sporangium
A sporangium is an enclosure in which spores are formed. It can be composed of a single cell or can be multicellular. All plants, fungi, and many other lineages form sporangia at some point in their life cycle...
are located under the edges.