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Coville's lipfern

Scientific Name: Cheilanthes covillei

Family: Pteridaceae

Category: Fern

Growth: Forb/herb

Duration: Perennial

Other Names:

       

Cheilanthes covillei - Coville's Lip Fern

Cheilanthes covillei, also known as Coville's lip fern, is a fascinating fern species with a distribution across the southwestern United States and Baja California. It has been reclassified as Myriopteris covillei.

Taxonomy and Nomenclature

  • Scientific Name: Cheilanthes covillei Maxon (also referred to as Myriopteris covillei)
  • Common Name: Coville's lip fern, Coville's lipfern
  • Family: Pteridaceae (Maidenhair fern family)
  • Genus: Cheilanthes Sw. (Lip ferns, lipfern)
  • Rank: Species
  • Nomencl. ref.: Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington 31. 147. 1918. 1918.
  • Etymology: Named after Frederick Coville, a botanist with the US National Herbarium and the US Department of Agriculture.

Distribution and Habitat

  • Native to the southwestern United States and Baja California.
  • Specifically found in California.
  • Grows in dry, rocky places, often tucked into cracks and fissures on north-facing slopes.
  • Common in the Sierra and Cascade ranges.
  • Observed growing from cracks between granitic blocks in Mojave National Preserve (NW of Kelbaker Road).
  • Typically grows on the Sutter Buttes in Sutter County, California.

Morphology and Growth Habits

  • A xeriphytic fern, meaning it is adapted to dry environments.
  • Characterized as a forb/herb, a non-woody plant that is not a grass.
  • Leaves (fronds) are finely dissected into small, bead-like leaflets.
  • Capable of curling down and becoming dormant for extended periods of time during dry conditions.
  • Typically grows to be one foot tall by one foot wide.
  • Stress-deciduous: the plant may lose its leaves under stress.
  • Richly textured fronds can be intensely hairy.

Ecological Role

  • This fern is adapted to grow in dry shade.
  • Well-suited for rock gardens and dry, partly sunny spots.

Interactions with Other Organisms

  • Scales are found on the backside of the fronds, covering the sori.

Resources and Further Information

  • Dave's Garden (website with community tips and ideas for gardens).
  • Theodore Payne Foundation web site.
  • Wikimedia Commons.
  • Encyclopedia of Life.