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Woodsia phillipsii

(Phillips's Cliff Fern)

Overview

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Threatened
Threat status

Common Names

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Common Names in English:

Phillips' Cliff Fern, Phillips's Cliff Fern

Description

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Family Dryopteridaceae

Plants perennial , terrestrial or on rock, occasionally hemiepiphytic or epiphytic. Stems creeping to erect , rarely arborescent , sometimes climbing , branched or unbranched, dictyostelic, bearing scales . Leaves circinate in bud, monomorphic or dimorphic . Petiole usually not articulate to stem, scales usually persistent at base , in cross section with 2--many roundish bundles, or bundles 2 and lunate . Blade simple to commonly 1--5-pinnate or more divided , leaf buds absent or present. Veins pinnate or parallel in ultimate segments, simple or forked , free or anastomosing, areoles sometimes with included free veinlets. Indument on blade commonly of glands , hairs , and/or scales, especially on rachis and costae abaxially. Sori borne abaxially on veins or at vein tips (but usually not marginal ), or sporangia acrostichoid and covering abaxial surface, if in discrete sori then variously shaped (round, oblong , or elongate ) ; receptacle not or only slightly elevated , with or without indusium, indusium variously linear , falcate , or reniform , sometimes hoodlike, cuplike, or round. Sporangia with stalk of 2--3 rows of cells ; annulus vertical , interrupted by stalk. Spores all of 1 kind, usually not green (except Matteuccia, Onoclea ), oblong or reniform in outline, monolete, variously ornamented (often broadly winged ), 64 per sporangium (32 in apogamous spp. ) . Gametophytes green, aboveground, cordate, glabrous or often bearing glands or hairs; archegonia and antheridia borne on lower surface, antheridia 3-celled.

Genera ca. 60, species perhaps exceeding 3000 (18 genera, 79 species in the flora ) : worldwide.

The family Dryopteridaceae has been variously circumscribed; it is here delimited in a manner similar to that of R. M. Tryon and A. F. Tryon (1982) but with the inclusion of Nephrolepis . In many works, the family has gone under the illegitimate name Aspidiaceae. Some authorities define Dryopteridaceae more narrowly, to exclude Athyrium, Deparia, Diplazium, Cystopteris, and Gymnocarpium (Athyriaceae or Woodsiaceae), Woodsia (Woodsiaceae), Lomariopsis (Lomariopsidaceae), Nephrolepis (Nephrolepidaceae or Davalliaceae), Onoclea and Matteuccia (Onocleaceae), and Ctenitis and Tectaria (Tectariaceae) . Characteristics holding Dryopteridaceae (as circumscribed here) together include the bilateral , monolete spores, often broadly winged perispore, absence of needlelike hairs, scaly stem and petiole bases, abaxial (nonmarginal) sori, base chromosome number of 40 or 41 (also 38 and 39 in Woodsia, 37 in Onoclea, 42 in Cystopteris ), and usually indusiate sori. Loss of indusium, dimorphism , areolate venation , and reduced blade dissection have occurred repeatedly along many evolutionary lines in Dryopteridaceae, and in general these characteristics are often not very useful in delimiting genera or assessing intergeneric relationships .

In some genera, especially Phanerophlebia and Polystichum, the blade bears very narrow scales (sometimes called microscales) that resemble uniseriate hairs. These scales may be only one or two cells wide. Every intergradation exists between these filiform microscales and more typical, wider scales, and the two types are the same color, generally tan to brownish. Microscales are probably not homologous with true hairs, which may be either unicellular or multicellular , uncolored or sometimes reddish (as in Tectaria and Ctenitis ), glandular (as in Woodsia ) or not. Hairs in Dryopteridaceae, if present at all, are generally readily distinguishable from the needlelike, transparent ones found in Thelypteridaceae.[1]

Genus Woodsia

Plants usually on rock. Stems compact to creeping ; ascending or erect (rarely horizontal), stolons absent. Leaves monomorphic , dying back over winter or sometimes persistent into the next season . Petiole 1/5--3/4 length of blade , base not conspicuously swollen; vascular bundles 2, arranged laterally, ± round or oblong in cross section . Blade linear to lanceolate or ovate , 1--2-pinnate-pinnatifid, gradually reduced distally to pinnatifid apex, herbaceous. Pinnae not articulate to rachis, segment margins entire to dentate , not spiny ; proximal pinnae somewhat reduced, sessile, bases usually ± equilateral ; costae often shallowly grooved adaxially, grooves ± continuous from rachis to costae; indument of glandular (occasionally nonglandular) hairs on both surfaces, rarely absent. Veins free , simple or forked . Sori in 1 row between midrib and margin on ultimate segments, round; indusia basal, dissected into several to numerous filamentous or scalelike segments encircling sorus, persistent but often obscure in mature sori. Spores brownish, cristate , rarely rugose . x = 38, 39, 41.

Species ca. 30 (10 in the flora ) : mostly north temperate regions and higher elevations in the tropics.

Woodsia is a well-marked genus; its morphology and chromosome base number ( x = 41) provide evidence of relationships to the dryopteroid ferns. Most authors consider Cystopteris to be its closest ally, and the two genera are often confused in herbarium collections . The resemblance is superficial in many ways, however, and Woodsia is easily distinguished from Cystopteris by its persistent petiole bases, multilobed indusia, and obscure veins that end in hydathodes before reaching the leaf margin. The North American species of Woodsia fall into two natural groups that might be recognized as subgenera . Woodsia ilvensis, W . glabella, and W . alpina have articulate petioles, indusial segments that are uniseriate throughout and composed of cells that are much longer than wide, entire or crenate pinnules , strictly concolored stem scales , and chromosome base numbers of 39--41. They are circumboreal in distribution and show clear affinities to species found only in Eurasia . The remainder of the North American taxa have petioles that are not articulate, indusial segments that are multiseriate at the base and composed of cells that are isodiametric or slightly longer than wide, dentate pinnules, often bicolored stem scales, and a chromosome base number of 38. All of these species are endemic to the New World and probably represent a distinct lineage within the genus. Hybridization is common within these natural groups, but intergroup hybrids are relatively rare.[2]

Physical Description

Species Woodsia phillipsii

Stems compact to short-creeping, erect to horizontal, with few to many persistent petiole bases of unequal lengths ; scales mostly uniformly brown but at least some bicolored with dark central stripe and pale brown margins , narrowly lanceolate. Leaves 5--35 × 1.5--6 cm. Petiole light brown or straw-colored when mature , occasionally darker at very base, not articulate above base, relatively brittle and easily shattered. Blade lanceolate, usually 2-pinnate proximally, sparsely to moderately glandular , never viscid ; glandular hairs with thin stalks and slightly expanded tips ; rachis with scattered glandular hairs and hairlike scales. Pinnae elongate-deltate to elliptic , longer than wide, often attenuate to a narrowly acute apex; largest pinnae with 7--18 pairs of widely spaced pinnules ; abaxial and adaxial surfaces somewhat glandular, lacking nonglandular hairs or scales. Pinnules dentate , often shallowly lobed ; margins often lustrous adaxially, somewhat thickened, with occasional glands , appearing ciliate due to presence of multicellular translucent projections on teeth that are often prolonged to form twisted filaments . Vein tips usually enlarged to form whitish hydathodes visible adaxially. Indusia of narrow, filamentous segments, these uniseriate for most of length, composed of ± isodiametric cells , often greatly surpassing mature sporangia. Spores averaging 37--44 µm. 2 n = 76. Sporulating summer--fall. [source]

Woodsia phillipsii traditionally has been identified as W. mexicana. It differs from typical W. mexicana, however, in having completely filamentous indusial segments, multicellular (often filamentous) translucent projections on the pinnule margins, a greater number of pinnules per pinna, and a diploid chromosome number. Woodsia phillipsii is the only diploid species currently recognized in the W. mexicana complex , and it was probably involved in the hybrid origins of both W. mexicana and W. neomexicana. Some individuals of the latter species are difficult to distinguish from W. phillipsii (see comments under W. neomexicana ), and the two taxa occasionally hybridize to produce sterile triploids of intermediate morphology. Woodsia phillipsii is also known to hybridize with W. plummerae (see comments under that species) and W. cochisensis. [source]

Habit: Forb/herb

Habitat

Cliffs and rocky slopes ; usually on granitic or volcanic substrates; 1600--3200 m [3].

Biology

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Reproduction

Duration: Perennial

Taxonomy

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Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name . Latest taxonomic scrutiny: 15-Mar-2000

Similar Species

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Members of the genus Woodsia

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 144 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus. Here are just 100 of them:

W. acuminata · W. alpina (Alpine Cliff Fern) · W. alpina subsp. bellii · W. alpina var. glabella · W. alpina × ilvensis · W. andersonii · W. angolensis · W. appalachiana (Appalachian Cliff Fern) · W. asiatica · W. asplenioides · W. belli · W. bellii · W. brandtii · W. brownii · W. calcarea · W. canescens · W. cathcartiana · W. caucasica · W. cochisensis (Cochise Cliff Fern) · W. conmixta · W. crenata · W. cumingiana · W. cycloloba · W. delavayi · W. dubia · W. elongata · W. eriosora · W. europolepis · W. fragilis · W. frigida · W. frondosa · W. glabella (Smooth Cliff Fern) · W. glabella asplenioides · W. glabella pinnatifida · W. glabella subsp. pulchella · W. glabella var. pinnatifida · W. glabella × ilvensis · W. gracillima · W. guatemalensis · W. hancockii · W. heterophylla · W. himalaica · W. hyperborea · W. hyperborea var. glabella · W. ilvensis (Rusty Cliff Fern) · W. ilvensis var. acuminata · W. ilvensis var. glabella · W. ilvensis var. rufidula · W. ilvensis var. taigichensis · W. incisa · W. indusiosa · W. insularis · W. intermedia · W. japonica · W. jeholensis · W. jujuiensis · W. kangdingensis · W. kitadakensis · W. laetevirens · W. lanosa · W. lapponica · W. longifolia · W. macrochlaena · W. macrospora · W. manchuriensis · W. mexicana (Mexican Cliff Fern) · W. microsora · W. mollis · W. montevidensis · W. neomexicana (New Mexican Cliff Fern) · W. nikkoensis · W. nivalis · W. novalis · W. oblonga · W. obtusa · W. obtusa 'Blunt-Lobed W.' · W. obtusa obtusa (Blunt-Lobed Cliff Fern) · W. obtusa occidentalis (Western Cliff Fern) · W. obtusa subsp. occidentalis (Western Cliff Fern) · W. obtusa var. cathcartiana · W. obtusa var. darlingtonii · W. obtusa var. glandulosa · W. obtusa var. lyallii · W. obtusa var. montevidensis · W. obtusa var. nana · W. obtusa var. plummerae · W. obtusa var. plummeroe · W. okamotoi · W. oregana (Western Cliff Fern) · W. oregana cathcartiana (Western Cliff Fern) · W. oregana oregana (Western Cliff Fern) · W. oregana subsp. cathcartiana (Oregon Cliff Fern) · W. paleacea · W. pallida · W. pellaeopsis · W. perriniana · W. peruviana · W. phillipsii (Phillips's Cliff Fern) · W. pilosa · W. pilosella

More Info

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Further Reading

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Notes

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Contributors

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal November 22, 2007:

Identifiers

Footnotes

  1. Alan R. Smith "Dryopteridaceae". in Flora of North America Vol. 2. Oxford University Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
  2. Michael D. Windham "Woodsia". in Flora of North America Vol. 2. Oxford University Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
  3. "Woodsia phillipsii". in Flora of North America Vol. 2. Oxford University Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
Last Revised: 7/2/2009