PTERIDACEAE

Cheilanthes viridis

Green Cliff Brake

Wildflowers

Local Context

Common in rocky drainage lines.

Identification

Growth: Perennial fern with a creeping or short lying-down rootstock, producing arching or upright fronds that grow 40–94 cm tall.
Flowers: Ferns do not bear flowers; reproductive spores are produced in continuous lines along the margins of the leaf segments, covered by a thin membranous flap (indusium).
Leaves: Soft to firm, triangle-shaped or five-angled in outline (up to 48 cm long), divided 2 to 4 times into smaller leaflets; the leaf stalks are chestnut-brown and often shiny.
Texture: Leaves are usually soft and herbaceous (sometimes leathery); the stalks are typically smooth and shiny dark brown, though sometimes hairy near the base.

Did You Know?

Unlike the other plants in this section, this is actually a Fern! It reproduces using microscopic spores on the underside of its leaves instead of flowers or seeds. So this is not actually a wildflower!

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