Cheilanthes covillei Maxon:
United States (North America)
Mexico (Mesoamerica)

United States

Origin: Unknown/Undetermined

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Unknown/Undetermined

Confidence: Confident

Cheilanthes covillei can be difficult to distinguish from the closely related C . intertexta and C . clevelandii ; it differs from these two species in having glabrous blades and costal scales ciliate only on the basal lobes. Cheilanthes covillei is occasionally misidentified as C . fendleri because the cilia of the scales are often obscure; it is distinguished from the latter species by having rigid, dark brown stem scales that are strongly appressed. Cheilanthes covillei hybridizes with C . parryi and C . newberryi to form rare, sterile diploids known as C . × parishii Davenport and C . × fibrillosa (Davenport) Davenport ex Underwood, respectively. A third sterile diploid hybrid with C . fendleri has recently been discovered in central Arizona (M. D. Windham, unpublished).

Stems short-creeping, usually 2--4 mm diam.; scales usually uniformly dark brown to black or rarely with narrow, light brown margins, linear-lanceolate, straight to slightly contorted, strongly appressed, persistent. Leaves clustered, 5--30 cm; vernation noncircinate. Petiole dark brown, rounded adaxially. Blade lanceolate to ovate-deltate, 3--4-pinnate at base, 1.5--5 cm wide; rachis rounded adaxially, somewhat scaly, not pubescent. Pinnae not articulate, dark color of stalk continuing into pinna base, basal pair not conspicuously larger than adjacent pair, usually equilateral, appearing glabrous (or somewhat scaly) adaxially. Costae green adaxially for most of length; abaxial scales multiseriate, ovate-lanceolate, deeply cordate at base, with overlapping basal lobes, conspicuous, the largest 0.4--1.5 mm wide, strongly imbricate, usually concealing ultimate segments, ciliate only on basal lobes. Ultimate segments round to oblong, beadlike, the largest 1--3 mm, abaxially glabrous or with a few small scales near base, adaxially glabrous. False indusia marginal, weakly differentiated, 0.05--0.25 mm wide. Sori ± continuous around segment margins. Sporangia containing 64 spores. 2 n = 60.

Myriopteris covillei (Maxon) A. Löve & D. Löve

Type collection for Cheilanthes covillei Maxon
Collection: Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, Department of Botany
Verification Degree: Verified from the card file of type specimens
Preparation: Pressed specimen
Collector(s): F. V. Coville & F. Funston
Locality: California, United States, North America

Sporulating late spring--fall. Rocky slopes, cliffs, and ledges, usually on igneous substrates; 100--2500 m; Ariz., Calif., Nev., Utah; Mexico in Baja California.

Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLDS) Stats
Public Records: 1
Species: 1
Species With Barcodes: 1

Rounded Global Status Rank: G4 - Apparently Secure

United States

Rounded National Status Rank: NNR - Unranked