Cheilanthes

Cheilanthes, or lipferns, is a genus consisting of around 150-180 species which are widespread in temperate and tropical regions worldwide. Nearly half of these species are to be found in Mexico and the southwestern United States.

They are small, evergreen ferns which inhabit areas with dry, arid climates. Some species grow well in full sun.

A total of ten species are endemic to California: Cheilanthes cooperae, Cheilanthes covillei, Cheilanthes feei, Cheilanthes gracillima, Cheilanthes intertexta, Cheilanthes newberryi, Cheilanthes parryi, Cheilanthes viscida, and Cheilanthes wootonii. There are two naturally occuring hybrids which are also endemic to California, Cheilanthes ×fibrillosa, and Cheilanthes ×parishii.

Out of these, three species are to be found only in the State of California: Cheilanthes clevelandii, Cheilanthes cooperae, and Cheilanthes viscida.

The fronds of Cheilanthes are often have cottony hairs and/or woolly scales on the underside, an adaptation which has evolved to moderate the temperature around the fronds, reflect light and heat, and to catch whatever moisture may be available to the plant. In extremely dry condition the entire fern can curl-up and will rehydrate when water becomes available again.

Some species of Notholaena and Pellaea may be difficult to distinguish from Cheilanthes. Notholaena, along with the genera Argyrochosma, Aspidotis, Astrolepis, and Mildella, were formerly included in Cheilanthes but are now classified separately.

The 1997 IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants lists ten species as threatened, including two which are only found in California (Cheilanthes cooperae and Cheilanthes viscida).

Click here for a distribution map for Cheilanthes in the United States and Canada (U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service).

Click here for Cheilanthes in the the Encyclopedia of Life.

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