''Myriopteris gracilis'', formerly known as ''Cheilanthes feei'', is a species of lip fern known by the common name slender lip fern or Fee's lip fern.

Description

''Myriopteris gracilis'' grows from a short creeping rhizome with pale to red-brown scales usually with a dark mid-stripe. The leaves are gray to pale green and 6 to 18 cm long and 1.5 to 3 cm wide. Each leaflet on the leaf is divided into lobes which are divided once more into rounded segments (3-pinnate). The undersides of the segments are concave and densely covered with short pale to dark tan hairs. The sori line the edges of the segment undersides and may be buried under the hairs. The fern reproduces asexually by

apogamy In botany, apomixis is asexual reproduction without fertilization. Its etymology is Greek for "away from" + "mixing". This definition notably does not mention meiosis. Thus "normal asexual reproduction" of plants, such as propagation from cuttin ...

Distribution and habitat

''Myriopteris gracilis'' is native to much of western North America from

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

and

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

to northern

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

, and throughout much of the central United States. It is found in rocky areas, generally on

calcareous Calcareous () is an adjective meaning "mostly or partly composed of calcium carbonate", in other words, containing lime or being chalky. The term is used in a wide variety of scientific disciplines. In zoology ''Calcareous'' is used as an adje ...

rock such as

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

where it grows in cracks and crevices.

Taxonomy

Based on plastid DNA sequence analysis ''Myriopteris gracilis'' is part of the ''lanosa'' clade of ''

Myriopteris ''Myriopteris'', commonly known as the lip ferns, is a genus of cheilanthoid ferns. Like other cheilanthoids, they are ferns of dry habitats, reproducing both sexually and apogamously. Many species have leaves divided into a large number of sma ...

''. Its closest analyzed relatives are '' Myriopteris parryi'' and '' Myriopteris longipila''.

Works cited

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External links

Jepson Manual eFlora (TJM2) treatment of Myriopteris gracilisUSDA Plants ProfileFlora of North AmericaPhoto gallery
{{Taxonbar, from=Q17196396 gracilis Ferns of California Ferns of the United States Flora of the California desert regions North American desert flora Flora of the Southwestern United States Flora of Missouri Flora of the West Coast of the United States Flora of the Western United States Flora of Northwestern Mexico Flora of Western Canada Plants described in 1857 Taxa named by Antoine Laurent Apollinaire Fée