Overview
Distribution
National Distribution
Canada
Origin: Native
Regularity: Regularly occurring
Currently: Present
Confidence: Confident
Type of Residency: Year-round
United States
Origin: Native
Regularity: Regularly occurring
Currently: Present
Confidence: Confident
Type of Residency: Year-round
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Global Range: A fern that ranges from Vermont south to Virginia and Tennessee, and west to Minnesota, Kansas, Texas, and the western cordillera.
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Physical Description
Morphology
Comments
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Description
- Flora of North America @ eFloras.org
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Molecular Biology and Genetics
Molecular Biology
Statistics of barcoding coverage: Pellaea glabella
Public Records: 0
Species: 1
Species With Barcodes: 1
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Conservation
Conservation Status
National NatureServe Conservation Status
Canada
Rounded National Status Rank: N4 - Apparently Secure
United States
Rounded National Status Rank: N5 - Secure
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Wikipedia
Pellaea glabella
Pellaea glabella is the smooth cliffbrake. For much of pteridological history, it was regarded as a reduced form or variety of Pellaea atropurpurea. P. glabella is known to exist in two cryptic species, one diploid and one tetraploid. The diploid reproduces sexually, while the tetraploid is normally apogamous. It is now known that the tetraploid form of the species is one of the parents of the original hybrid P. Xatropurpurea that became the apogamous species.
P. glabella is epipetric, normally growing on well-weathered limestone. It favors more exposed sites than P. atropurpurea.
This species is distinguished by its sessile or nearly sessile pinnae and smooth, not hairy, stipes.
P. glabella has been assigned a total of four subspecies:
- Pellaea glabella subsp. glabella Mettenius ex Kuhn
- Pellaea glabella subsp. missouriensis (G. J. Gastony) Windham
- Pellaea glabella subsp. occidentalis (E. E. Nelson) Windham
- Pellaea glabella subsp. simplex (Butters) A. Löve & D. Löve
The subspecies glabella and simplex are the tetraploids, while missouriensis and occidentalis are the diploids. Glabella and missouriensis have hairlike scales near the midrib, while simplex and occidentalis are completely glabrous.
References
- P. glabella USDA Plants Profile: http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=PEGL
- P. glabella in Flora of North America: http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=233500875
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