Woodsia oregana
Cliff fern
Family: Woodsiaceae · Type: perennial · Native
Cliff fern is a California native perennial found in the Klamath Ranges, northern Sierra Nevada, San Bernardino Mountains, Peninsular Ranges, Mojave Desert Mountains, and White and Inyo Mountains in rocky crevices and rock bases at elevations of 900 to 2,800 meters. This delicate fern features finely divided fronds 5 to 25 centimeters long with pinnately lobed leaflets up to 2.5 centimeters wide. Growing with a compact, clustered habit, the fern produces slender stems with pale green to gray-green foliage. Its pinnae have fine-toothed margins and acute tips, with minimal hair-like structures on the leaf axes. The fern's unique indusium is characterized by segmented protective hairs covering its reproductive structures.
Habitat: Crevices, rock bases
Elevation: 900-2800 m
Bioregions: KR, CaRH, n&s SNH, SnBr, PR, MP, W&I, DMtns
California counties: Riverside, Sierra, Inyo, Modoc, Mono, San Bernardino, Kern, Amador, Tuolumne, Shasta, Tulare, Fresno, Siskiyou, Plumas, Lassen, El Dorado, Madera
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.