Myriopteris viscida

Viscid lace fern, Viscid Lace Fern

Family: Pteridaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Viscid lace fern is a California native perennial found in the eastern edge of the San Bernardino Mountains, eastern Peninsular Ranges (including San Jacinto), Mojave Desert, and western edge of the Sonoran Desert in limestone and granite crevices at elevations of 100 to 1,600 meters. With a pale to dull green appearance, this fern grows with short-creeping rhizomes and leaves 10 to 15 centimeters long covered in a distinctive sticky, clear exudate that gives it a viscid (sticky) texture. Growing with delicate fronds that have sparse red-brown scales at the base, the fern features small, approximately oblong segments that remain relatively flat. Its leaves are characterized by young tips that are tightly coiled and segments with sporangia visible along recurved margins. The fern's unique glandular surface and sticky coating make it easily distinguishable from other similar fern species.

Habitat: Limestone, granite crevices, rocks

Elevation: 100-1600 m

Bioregions: e edge SnBr, e PR (incl SnJt), DMoj, w edge DSon

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