Woodsia scopulina
Cliff fern
Family: Woodsiaceae · Type: perennial · Native
Cliff fern is a California native perennial found in the Klamath Ranges, high Cascade Range, Sierra Nevada, San Bernardino Mountains, Modoc Plateau, and White and Inyo Mountains in rocky crevices and rock bases at elevations of 1,300 to 3,500 meters. This delicate fern features leaves up to 32 centimeters long with narrow pinnae 12 to 27 millimeters long that are pinnately lobed with toothed margins. Growing with finely textured fronds, the plant has intricate leaf axes covered in both flat, segmented nonglandular hairs and shorter cylindric glandular hairs. Its leaves have a distinctive acute tip and are relatively narrow, measuring 1.5 to 2 centimeters wide. The sporangia are characterized by narrow, scale-like indusium lobes, giving the fern a delicate and intricate appearance.
Habitat: Crevices, rock bases
Elevation: 1300-3500 m
Bioregions: KR, CaRH, SNH, SnBr, MP, W&I
California counties: San Bernardino, Tulare, El Dorado, Inyo, Madera, Mono, Tuolumne, Fresno, Mariposa, Siskiyou, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Butte, Trinity, Modoc, Calaveras, Orange, Alpine
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.