Pellaea truncata

Spiny cliff-brake, Spiny Cliff-Brake

Family: Pteridaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 2B.3

Spiny cliff-brake is a rare (CNPS 2B.3) California native fern found in the eastern desert mountains, including Providence and New York Mountains, in rocky granite and igneous rock crevices at elevations of 1,200 to 1,900 meters. Its olive-green fronds grow 15 to 30 centimeters long and 4 to 11 centimeters wide, with distinctively narrow triangular blades divided into linear to oblong segments 4 to 8 millimeters long. Growing with a short-creeping rhizome branched to 8 centimeters, the fern produces clusters of fronds with slender stipes approximately 1 millimeter wide. Its leaf segments have wavy-crenate margins, often appearing whitish, especially on sterile fronds, with small pointed tips (mucros) giving the plant its spiny character. The fern's fronds spread out with pinnae that are generally not overlapping, creating an intricate and delicate architectural form.

Habitat: Generally in crevices of or at bases of granite (in California) or igneous rock

Elevation: 1200-1900 m

Bioregions: e DMtns (Providence, New York mtns)

California counties: San Bernardino, Inyo, San Diego, Marin, Ventura

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