Myriopteris lindheimeri, formerly known as Cheilanthes lindheimeri,[1] is a species of fern in the Pteridaceae family (subfamily Cheilanthoideae) with the common name fairy swords.[2]
Myriopteris lindheimeri grows in dense colonies from a long creeping rhizome with brown scales. Leaves are generally lanceolate and 7–30 cm long and 2–5 cm wide with a dark brown petiole. The leaf blade is 4-pinnate at the base, grayish or silvery green on top and covered with rusty brown wooly hairs below. The rachis has scattered linear-lanceolate scales and sparse hairs. Ultimate leaf segments are round to slightly oblong, beadlike, up to 0.7–1 mm in diameter. The tops of the leaves typically have a distinctive silvery green tone.[3][4]
Myriopteris lindheimeri is native to southwestern United States and northern Mexico. It grows on rocky slopes and ledges, on a variety of acidic to mildly basic substrates, at elevations from 200 to 2500 m.[3]
Myriopteris lindheimeri is an apogamous (asexually reproducing) triploid of unknown parentage. Based on plastid DNA sequence, Myriopteris lindheimeri is part of Myriopteris clade C (covillei clade) and is very closely related to Myriopteris yavapensis.[5] It is occasionally misidentified as Myriopteris wootonii.[3][4]
Myriopteris lindheimeri, formerly known as Cheilanthes lindheimeri, is a species of fern in the Pteridaceae family (subfamily Cheilanthoideae) with the common name fairy swords.
