DRYOPTERIDACEAE

WOOD FERN FAMILY

Alan R. Smith and Thomas Lemieux

Perennial, in soil or rock crevices; rhizome generally short-creeping, suberect, or erect, scales large, generally tan to brown, generally 1-colored
Leaves generally tufted, 5–200+ cm, generally ± alike; petiole generally firm, base generally darker, with 2–many vascular strands; blade 1–4-pinnate, often with scales, hair-like scales, hairs (except clear, needle-like hairs generally 0), or short-stalked glands on axes, sometimes between veins, veins free to netted; 1° and 2° axes generally grooved on upper side
Sporangia: sori round, less often oblong or J-shaped, along or at tips of veins; indusia peltate, round-reniform, oblong to linear, J-shaped, hood-like, or cup-like, rarely 0; spores elliptic, winged, ridged, or spiny, scar linear
Genera in family: ± 60 genera, > 1000 species: worldwide, especially tropical, wooded areas. Woodsia sometimes in Woodsiaceae; Athyrium, Cystopteris sometimes in Athyriaceae.

WOODSIA

CLIFF FERN

Rhizome generally ascending to suberect, short, with many old petiole bases
Leaf often glandular or hairy; petiole base with 2 vascular strands; blade 1–2-pinnate, segments ± toothed to pinnately lobed, veins free
Sporangia: sori round, generally not at margins; indusium cup-like, often of many segmented hair- or scale-like fragments or lobes encircling sorus from below, often of crusty, whitish beads, often obscure in age
Species in genus: ± 30 species: generally n temp
Etymology: (J. Woods, Britain, b 1776)
Reference: [Brown 1964 Beih Nova Hedwigia 16:1–154]
Horticultural information: TRY.

Native

W. scopulina D.C. Eaton

Leaf < 36 cm, 5–8 cm wide; blade tip ± acute, nonforked; blade lower surface hairs ± 0.5–1 mm, ± flat, segmented and ± 0.1 mm, nonsegmented, glandular; 1° leaflets < 4 cm, 2.5 cm wide, pinnately lobed to 1-pinnate, margin toothed to shallow-lobed
Sporangia: indusium of narrow scale-like lobes
Chromosomes: 2n=76,152
Ecology: Crevices, rock bases
Elevation: 1300–3500 m.
Bioregional distribution: Klamath Ranges (Trinity Co.), High Cascade Range, High Sierra Nevada, San Bernardino Mountains, Modoc Plateau, White and Inyo Mountains
Distribution outside California: to Alaska, e Canada, w US