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rockbrake
Scientific Name: Cryptogramma
Family: Pteridaceae
Category: Fern
Growth:
Duration:
Other Names:
Rockbrakes and Parsley Ferns (Genus Cryptogramma and Pellaea)
This page provides information about plants commonly known as rockbrakes and parsley ferns, primarily focusing on species within the genera Cryptogramma and Pellaea. The information is compiled from various sources and covers aspects of their taxonomy, distribution, and morphology.
Considerations for Pets
- Some rockbrakes grow on cliffs or walls, which could present a hazard if pets attempt to climb or access these areas.
- Some rockbrakes grow in rocky habitats. These rocks could create a danger for pets.
Considerations for Children
- Some rockbrakes grow on cliffs or walls, which could present a hazard if children attempt to climb or access these areas.
- Some rockbrakes grow in rocky habitats. These rocks could create a danger for children.
Common Names and Scientific Names
- Common Names: Rockbrake, Parsley Fern, American Parsley Fern
- Genus: Cryptogramma (includes species commonly called rockbrakes or parsley ferns), Pellaea (includes species such as purple rockbrake)
Taxonomy and Nomenclature
- The genus Cryptogramma belongs to the Cryptogrammoideae subfamily.
- Synonyms for some species include alternative scientific names.
- Cryptogramma stelleri (S. G. Gmelin) Prantl is found in Engler, Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 3: 413. 1882.
Distribution and Habitat
- Rockbrakes generally grow on or among rocks, especially in rocky ground.
- Slender rock-brake (Cryptogramma stelleri) has a circumboreal distribution, with disjunct ranges in northeastern and northwestern North America. It is also found in Alaska and western Canada.
- Pellaea atropurpurea (purple rockbrake) typically grows on cliffs or walls in North America.
- American rockbrake has been observed on basalt outcrops.
Morphological Characteristics and Growth Habits
- Purple rockbrake is a very short, shallowly creeping North American fern with dark, glossy leaf axes.
- Some rockbrakes grow in massive tufts, with fronds resembling parsley.
- Bird Rock-Brake (Pellaea Ornithopus) has a stem that is tufted, rigid, erect, polished, dark chestnut-brown, and naked, ranging from three to six inches in length.