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lipfern

Scientific Name: Cheilanthes

Family: Pteridaceae

Category: Fern

Growth:

Duration:

Other Names:

       

Lip Ferns: A Diverse Genus (Cheilanthes)

Lip ferns belong to the genus Cheilanthes, encompassing approximately 150 species within the family Pteridaceae. These ferns thrive in tropical and temperate regions, often in arid and semiarid environments.

Considerations for Pets

  • Several Cheilanthes species, such as Cheilanthes lanosa (Hairy Lip Fern), exhibit a soft texture with fuzzy leaflets along a chestnut brown stipe.
  • The plants are suitable for rock gardens and crevices.

Nomenclature and Taxonomy

  • Scientific Name: Cheilanthes Sw.
  • Family: Pteridaceae
  • Synonyms/Related Names:
    • Cheilanthes lanosa (Michx.) D.C. Eaton
    • Nephrodium lanosum Michaux (for Hairy Lip Fern)
    • Myriopteris lanosa (Hairy lip-fern)

Common Names

  • Coastal Lip Fern (Cheilanthes intertexta)
  • Nit-bearing Lip Fern (Cheilanthes)
  • Whitefoot Lip Fern (Cheilanthes leucopoda)
  • Hairy Lip Fern (Cheilanthes lanosa)
  • Wooly Lip Fern (Cheilanthes tomentosa)
  • Slender Lip Fern (Cheilanthes feei)
  • Coville's Lip Fern (Cheilanthes covillei)
  • Alabama Lip Fern (Cheilanthes alabamensis)
  • Fee's Lipfern (Cheilanthes feei)
  • Hay-scented Lip Fern (Cheilanthes pteridioides)

Distribution and Habitat

  • Lip ferns are cosmopolitan in arid and semiarid temperate or tropical regions.
  • Hairy Lip Fern (Cheilanthes lanosa) is distributed across much of southeastern North America, extending barely into New England at the northern limit of its range.
  • They are often found growing out of rock crevices.
  • Coville's Lip Fern (Cheilanthes covillei) is native to the western United States.
  • Slender Lip Fern (Cheilanthes feei) is native to much of western North America from British Columbia.
  • Alabama Lip Fern (Cheilanthes alabamensis) can be found in Alabama.

Morphological Characteristics and Growth Habits

  • Many Cheilanthes species are small, dry-land ferns that grow in full sun and are deer-resistant.
  • They often form low, tufted clumps.
  • Some species, such as Cheilanthes lanosa, are soft-textured with fuzzy green leaflets.
  • Cheilanthes tomentosa, the wooly lip fern, has leaves covered in downy pubescence.
  • Cheilanthes feei (Slender Lip Fern) has narrow fronds, 2 to 8 inches long, compound with bead-like segments on leaflets.
  • Lindheimer's Lip Fern grows to 6 inches in height at lower elevations and up to 11 inches at higher altitudes.

Cultivation and Uses

  • Cheilanthes ferns are well-suited for containers, rock gardens, and stone wall crevices.
  • They thrive in loose, gritty, rock garden-type situations, in partial or full sun.
  • Many are evergreen and hardy.

Quirky Facts

  • A Hairy Lip Fern was last seen in New York on Iona Island in the Hudson River in 1954.

Further Information

  • Dave's Garden offers tips and ideas for gardens, along with seeds and plants.
  • ARKive provides photos and facts on Lip ferns.
  • Montana Field Guide includes information for submitting photos of species.
  • RHS offers information on Cheilanthes pteridioides hay-scented lip fern.
  • Wikimedia Commons hosts files such as images of Coville's Lip Fern.