''Polypodium hesperium'' 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 except t ...

known by the common name western polypody. 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, ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, and the

Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in straight-line distance from the northernmost part of western Canada, to New Mexico in ...

to northern Mexico, where it grows in rocky habitat types. This is an allopolyploid species of hybrid origin, its parent species being ''

Polypodium glycyrrhiza ''Polypodium glycyrrhiza'', commonly known as licorice fern, many-footed fern, and sweet root, is a summer deciduous fern native to western North America, where it is found in shaded, damp locations. Spores are located in rounded sori on the u ...

'' and ''

Polypodium amorphum ''Polypodium amorphum'' is a species of fern with the common name irregular polypody, which grows near the northwest coast of North America. Description ''Polypodium amorphum'' grows from a creeping rhizome, usually creeping along rock crevices. ...

''.

Description

This

polypody ''Polypodium'' is a genus of ferns in the family Polypodiaceae, subfamily Polypodioideae, according to the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I). The genus is widely distributed throughout the world, with the highest s ...

anchors with a thin, scaly

rhizome In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow hori ...

. It produces oblong leaves in maximum length and in width. Each leaf is made up of many dull-pointed linear or lance-shaped segments which may be thin and membranous or firm and leathery in texture, and smooth or serrated on the edges. The underside of each leaf segment has a few brownish, reddish, or nearly black sori, which contain the

spore In biology, a spore is a unit of sexual or asexual reproduction that may be adapted for dispersal and for survival, often for extended periods of time, in unfavourable conditions. Spores form part of the life cycles of many plants, algae, f ...

External links

Jepson Manual Treatment: ''Polypodium hesperium''Washington Burke Museum

hesperium Hesperium (or esperium; atomic symbol Es) was the name assigned to the element with atomic number 94, now known as plutonium. It was named in Italian ''Esperio'' after a Greek name of Italy, Hesperia, "the land of the West". The same team assigned ...

Ferns of California Ferns of Mexico Ferns of the United States Flora of Northwestern Mexico Flora of the Northwestern United States Flora of the Southwestern United States Flora of the Klamath Mountains Flora of the Rocky Mountains Flora of the Sierra Nevada (United States) Natural history of the California Coast Ranges Natural history of the Transverse Ranges Ferns of the Americas Plants described in 1900 Flora without expected TNC conservation status {{Polypodiaceae-stub