Pellaea breweri
Encyclopedia
Pellaea breweri is a species of fern
known by the common name Brewer's cliffbrake. It is native to much of the Western United States
. It grows in rocky habitat such as cliffs and mountain slopes.
covered in hairlike scales. Each leaf is up to 20 or 25 centimeters long. It is composed of a shiny brown rachis
lined with widely spaced leaflets. The thick, pale green leaflets vary in shape from lance-shaped to diamond, triangular, or spade-shaped, and are sometimes divided deeply into lobes, or into two smaller leaflets. 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 Brewer's cliffbrake. It is native to much of the Western United States
Western United States
.The Western United States, commonly referred to as the American West or simply "the West," traditionally refers to the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. Because the U.S. expanded westward after its founding, the meaning of the West has evolved over time...
. It grows in rocky habitat such as cliffs and mountain slopes.
Description
Pellaea breweri grows from a branching reddish-brown rhizomeRhizome
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...
covered in hairlike scales. Each leaf is up to 20 or 25 centimeters long. It is composed of a shiny 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 widely spaced leaflets. The thick, pale green leaflets vary in shape from lance-shaped to diamond, triangular, or spade-shaped, and are sometimes divided deeply into lobes, or into two smaller leaflets. 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.