Pentagramma maxonii

Desert silverback fern, Desert Silverback Fern

Family: Pteridaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Desert silverback fern is a California native perennial found in the San Bernardino Mountains, San Jacinto Mountains, and southern edges of the Mojave Desert Mountains in generally shaded sites near rocks and boulders at elevations of 300 to 1,400 meters. Its distinctive leaf blades are approximately as wide as long, with sparse minute yellow glands and dense white undersides that give the plant a silvery appearance. Growing with a rhizomatous root system, this fern develops ternate leaves where proximal pinnae are 2 to 5 centimeters long and deeply pinnately lobed. The leaf margins feature intricate pinnule structures, with basal pinnae sections becoming increasingly complex towards the leaf tip. Its unique white exudate and occasional yellow or red glandular surface create a remarkable botanical texture that distinguishes this desert-adapted fern.

Habitat: Generally +- shaded sites, near rocks, boulders

Elevation: 300-1400 m

Bioregions: SnBr, SnJt, DMoj exc DMtns (south edge), DMtns

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