Coville's Lip Fern
Cheilanthes covillei
Photographed near the pass on Vulture Peak, Maricopa Co., Arizona. March 2, 2008.
Enlarged view showing fleshy, ultimate front segments. Photographed near the pass on Vulture Peak, Maricopa Co., Arizona. March 2, 2008.
FERN: A xeriphytic
fern of rocky crevices capable of curling down and becoming dormant for
extended periods of time.
FRONDS: The leaves are finely, finely divided into very small, bulbous, dark
green segments. Beneath each segment is a brownish, papery scale - best viewed from underside
of leaf with a magnifier.
RHIZOMES: Sclerified scales on
rhizome.
RANGE: Fairly common on mountains in shady, seasonally damp spots in the
Sonoran Desert in Arizona. Ranges west and north into Nevada and California.
Obscure after periods of drought. The specimen in the photo was observed more
than a month since the last rainfall. Some of the fronds have already entered a
dry, dormant state. May rarely hybridize with
Parry's Lip Fern -- Cheilanthes parryi.
SPORANGIA: On the undersides of fronds partially obscured by the scales.