Woodsia plummerae

Plummer's woodsia, Plummer's Woodsia

Family: Woodsiaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 2B.3

Plummer's woodsia is a rare (CNPS 2B.3) California native perennial found in desert mountains in rocky crevices and rock bases at elevations of 1,600 to 2,000 meters. The fern has delicate fronds less than 25 centimeters long with pinnae that are pinnately lobed and less than 3 centimeters wide, often featuring blunt or sometimes forked tips. Growing with slender, pale green stems, this woodsia has intricately structured leaves with pinnae that are toothed or shallowly lobed along their margins. Its leaf axes are characterized by sparse, short cylindrical hairs approximately 0.1 millimeters long, giving the fronds a subtle textural quality. The sporangia are distinctive, with indusia composed of scale-like fragments or lobes that may end in delicate hair-like structures.

Habitat: Crevices, rock bases

Elevation: 1600-2000 m

Bioregions: DMtns

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