''Cryptogramma cascadensis'' is a species of
fern
A fern (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta ) is a member of a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. The polypodiophytes include all living pteridophytes exce ...
known by the common names Cascade parsley fern and Cascade rockbrake.
Description
The plant forms a clump from a
rhizome. It has two types of leaves. The sterile leaf is flat with lobed oval or diamond-shaped leaflets, and the fertile leaf is longer, with narrow, thick, fingerlike leaflets with edges curled under to cover the
sporangia
A sporangium (; from Late Latin, ) is an enclosure in which spores are formed. It can be composed of a single cell or can be multicellular. Virtually all plants, fungi, and many other lineages form sporangia at some point in their life cyc ...
on the undersides. The leaves are deciduous.
[ Hitchcock, C.L. and Cronquist, A. 2018. Flora of the Pacific Northwest, 2nd Edition, p. 56. University of Washington Press, Seattle.]
Taxonomy
Formerly lumped with ''
Cryptogramma acrostichoides'', ''C. cascadensis'' was described as a distinct species by
Ed Alverson in 1989. The type specimen was collected growing on
talus below Chair Peak, northwest of
Snoqualmie Pass
Snoqualmie Pass is a mountain pass that carries Interstate 90 (I-90) through the Cascade Range in the U.S. state of Washington. The pass summit is at an elevation of , on the county line between Kittitas County and King County.
Snoqualmie ...
.
Distribution and habitat
It is native to 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, ...
to
Montana
Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columb ...
to
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
, where it grows in the cracks and crevices of mountain
talus slopes, especially in moist
subalpine
Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is a crucial f ...
areas on volcanic or granite rocks.
References
External links
Jepson Manual TreatmentUSDA Plants ProfileFlora of North AmericaPhoto gallery
cascadensis
Ferns of California
Plants described in 1989
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