Myriopteris parryi

Parry's lip fern, Parry's Lip Fern

Family: Pteridaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Parry's lip fern is a California native perennial found in the Peninsular Ranges, southern eastern Sierra Nevada, and desert regions on limestone and granite crevices at elevations of 100 to 1,500 meters. With delicate fronds 6 to 15 centimeters long, this fern features silvery-white hairs on the upper leaf surface and dense tan to golden hairs on the underside. Growing with a short-creeping rhizome covered in medium brown scales, it forms compact clusters in rocky habitats. Its small, nearly round leaf segments are densely covered with long, tangled hairs that give the plant a soft, intricate texture. The fern's sporangia are partially visible through the marginal hairs, with spores appearing nearly black.

Habitat: Limestone, granite crevices, rocks

Elevation: 100-1500 m

Bioregions: PR, SNE, D

California counties: San Diego, Plumas, Riverside, Inyo, San Bernardino, Imperial

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.