Pentagramma triangularis

Goldback fern

Family: Pteridaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Goldback fern is a California native perennial found in the California Floristic Province, Modoc Plateau, Sierra Nevada Eastern Boundary, and Desert Mountains, commonly growing in shaded, sometimes rocky or wooded areas at elevations below 2,300 meters. This distinctive fern features yellow to cream exudate on its underside, creating a distinctive golden sheen on its fronds. Growing with a rhizomatous root system, the fern produces delicate fronds with proximal pinnae 2 to 6 centimeters long, with pinnules that are pinnately lobed on the basal side of the lowest pinnae. Its leaf blades are smooth and glabrous on the upper surface, with margins that remain flat rather than curling under. The fern's unique coloration and growth pattern makes it a striking feature in its native habitats, with scales at the rhizome tip adding to its intricate botanical character.

Habitat: Common. Generally shaded, sometimes rocky or wooded areas

Elevation: < 2300 m

Bioregions: CA-FP, MP (caves in Lava Beds National Monument), SNE, DMtns

California counties: Ventura, Santa Barbara, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Los Angeles, Marin, Mendocino, Monterey, Placer, Santa Clara, Tulare, Glenn, Inyo, Kern, Orange, Santa Cruz, Shasta, Humboldt, Madera, Mono, San Benito, Mariposa, Sonoma, Solano, Tuolumne, San Luis Obispo, Lake, Butte, Tehama, Fresno, Trinity, Amador, Contra Costa, San Mateo, Napa, Sacramento, Merced, Kings, El Dorado, San Francisco, Sutter, Sierra, Plumas, Del Norte, Alameda, Siskiyou, Calaveras, Colusa, Yuba, Nevada, Yolo, Stanislaus

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