Myriopteris covillei, formerly known as Cheilanthes covillei,[1] is a species of cheilanthoid fern known by the common name Coville's lip fern. Coville's lip fern is native to the southwestern United States and Mexico.[2]
This fern has dark to medium green leaves (fronds) which may be up to 4-pinnate (made up of leaflets that subdivide up to 3 times), such that the leaflets are layered with overlapping rounded segments. The leaves as a whole have a bumpy, cobbled look when viewed from above. The edges of the leaflets are curled under (forming a false indusium) and their undersides have wide scales which are lengthened outgrowths of the epidermis. Tucked under the scales and false indusium are the sporangia, which make the spores.[2] Myriopteris covillei can be distinguished from its very similar relative Myriopteris intertexta by the scales on the underside of the leaflets. These scales are up to 3 mm wide at their base in M. covillei, giving them an elongated triangular papery appearance, whereas those of M. intertexta are 1 mm wide, appearing more like a flattened thread.[2]
Coville's lip fern is native to California, Baja California, Arizona, Oregon, and Utah.[3]
It grows in rocky crevices in the mountains and foothills. In California it is found in chaparral, yellow pine forest, pinyon-juniper woodland, and Joshua tree woodland habitats.[2]
Based on plastid DNA sequence, Myriopteris covillei is part of Myriopteris clade C (covillei clade) and is most closely related to Myriopteris clevelandii and Myriopteris gracillima.[4] In addition, Myriopteris covillei is one of the parents of the fertile allotetraploid Myriopteris intertexta.[5][1][4]
Myriopteris covillei, formerly known as Cheilanthes covillei, is a species of cheilanthoid fern known by the common name Coville's lip fern. Coville's lip fern is native to the southwestern United States and Mexico.
