Flora of North America species comparison

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Asplenium vespertinum

western spleenwort
Roots

not proliferous.
Stems

short-creeping, rarely branched;

scales black with lighter margins, linear-lanceolate, 2–3 × 0.2–0.4 mm, margins entire, or denticulate distally.
Leaves

monomorphic.
Petiole

reddish brown or purplish black throughout, lustrous, 2–5 cm, 1/4–1/6 length of blade, sometimes curved like a J at base;

indument of blackish brown, filiform scales at base.
Blade

linear, 1-pinnate throughout, 5–15(–28) × 1–2.5 cm, thick, glabrous;

base gradually tapered;

apex acute, not rooting.
Pinnae

15–30 pairs, oblong;

medial pinnae 5–10 × 2–3 mm;

base rounded to cuneate;

margins lobed or serrate;

apex obtuse.
Veins

free, obscure.
Sori

2–6 pairs per pinna, on both basiscopic and acroscopic sides.
Spores

64 per sporangium.
Rachis

reddish brown or purplish black throughout, shiny, glabrous.

Asplenium vespertinum
Habitat Moist, shaded canyon walls and at base of overhanging rocks
Elevation 0–1000 m (0–3300 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; Mexico in Baja California
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Source FNA vol. 2.
Parent taxa Aspleniaceae > Asplenium
Sibling taxa
A. abscissum, A. adiantum-nigrum, A. adulterinum, A. auritum, A. bradleyi, A. cristatum, A. dalhousiae, A. ebenoides, A. exiguum, A. heterochroum, A. monanthes, A. montanum, A. palmeri, A. pinnatifidum, A. platyneuron, A. plenum, A. pumilum, A. resiliens, A. rhizophyllum, A. ruta-muraria, A. scolopendrium, A. septentrionale, A. serratum, A. trichomanes, A. trichomanes-dentatum, A. trichomanes-ramosum, A. verecundum, A. ×biscayneanum, A. ×curtissii, A. ×heteroresiliens
Synonyms A. trichomanes var. vespertinum
Name authority Maxon: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 27: 197. (1900)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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