PTERIDACEAE

BRAKE FAMILY

Alan R. Smith and Thomas Lemieux

Perennial, in soil or on or among rocks; rhizome creeping to erect, scaly
Leaves generally all ± alike (or of 2 kinds, fertile and sterile), generally < 50 cm, often < 25 cm; petiole generally thin, wiry, often dark, in transverse section with vascular strands generally 1–3, less often many in a circle; blade generally pinnate or ± palmate-pinnate (see Adiantum ), often 2 or more compound, lower surface often with glands, ± powdery exudate, hairs, or scales; segments round, oblong, fan-shaped, or otherwise, veins generally free
Sporangia in sori or not, marginal, submarginal, or along veins, sometimes covered by recurved, often modified segment margins (false indusia); true indusia 0; spores spheric, sides sometimes flat, scar with 3 radiating branches
Genera in family: ± 40 genera, 500 species: worldwide, especially dry areas. Definition of Cheilanthes and related genera problematic; traditional limits often untenable.

PELLAEA

CLIFF-BRAKE

Plant in soil or rock crevices; rhizome short- to long-creeping, scales overlapping, narrowly linear, light- to reddish or medium-brown, often with darker mid-stripe
Leaves erect, persistent, < 1 m; petioles ± cylindric, generally dark or reddish brown to blackish, ± shiny, glabrous; blade 1–4-pinnate; segments generally stalked, generally free, linear to rounded, lobed or not, often folded lengthwise when dried; veins generally free
Sporangia in ± continuous, submarginal bands, among a whitish to yellowish exudate or not; segment margin generally recurved, generally modified; spores tan to light yellow
Species in genus: ± 35 species: tropical, temp, few in Eur, 0 in Asia
Etymology: (Greek: dusky, from bluish gray leaves)
Reference: [Tryon 1957 Ann Missouri Bot Gard 44(2):125–193]
Not commonly cultivated.

Native

P. brachyptera (T. Moore) Baker

Rhizome short-creeping, many-branched, compact, > 8 cm, 1 cm wide; scales reddish brown with darker mid-stripe
Leaves clustered, 15–30(40) cm, 2–3 cm wide, grayish green; petiole 1–2 mm wide; blade 2-pinnate, oblong; segments 5–11(13), < 1(2) cm, linear, 5–15 X longer than wide, with a small point at tip, > main axis of 1° leaflet
Sporangia 64-spored
Ecology: Rocky crevices, slopes, serpentine or not
Elevation: 700–2200 m.
Bioregional distribution: Klamath Ranges, North Coast Ranges, Cascade Range, n High Sierra Nevada
Distribution outside California: to Washington
Hybridizes with P. mucronata.
Horticultural information: DRN, DRY: 4, 5, 6 &IRR, SHD: 7, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19.